Hearts of Iron
by Calix Machiavelli
Summary: Sir Mycen took her away from me one night, and never returned to Ram Village again. Forgotten. Abandoned. Orphaned. I've been robbed of everything I've ever held dear. My name is Alm, and this is the darkness I carved for myself. Fate says our paths will inevitably cross but… who is she again? Semi-novelization with several changes.
1. Act 0-1: Departure

**_Act 0 Chapter 1_** **  
Departure (Mycen)**

In the full moon, two silhouettes moved quickly through Ram Village. One of them, the figure of an aged man, was in the front. Both of them carried heavy bags. Strong winds helped conceal the indignant voice of the young girl he dragged behind himself. The village watch were more drunk than usual. It was the perfect departure for a long journey.

"No! Let me go, you crypt!" The young girl whined. She tried to fight the man's grasp.

The old man paused. "Celica, we have no choice. The knaves who tried setting foot in this village know you are here. It will only be a matter of time before they come hunting for you."

"I know that grandpapa!" Celica held back her tears. "Why did you have to lie to Alm and the others? You told them I wasn't going to leave…"

Sir Mycen shook his head. It was unusually cruel to send little Celica off to a foreign land without telling another soul, but he needed to do so quietly. The stubborn lad who grew attached to her would protest to the entire Ram Ranch. The knight knew nobody must know about the little girl's past.

"I will come back for him, after delivering you elsewhere." Mycen kneeled down to Celica's height. "This is the will of the Mother. I have a feeling you'll see him again someday."

"If it's Her will…" The girl sniffed. "…Then. I'll go. I don't know what I'll do if I see Alm cry."

"This was not a light decision, princess." The man shook his wary head. "Despite all my years serving the people of Zofia, I have failed to provide you with a simple childhood. Please forgive a senile fool for your troubles."

Mycen led the girl to the stable and found his horse. His mare had provided many years of loyal service to him. To live inside a half torn-down stable house, with horses several fortnights younger than her, had taken a toll on the dejected creature. In a way, it reminded the knight of his later days.

"Don't say that grandpapa!" Celicia argued. "I'll never forget the friends and memories I made here. They mean the entire world to me."

"Of course." Mycen sighed. "I have unfinished business here in Ram, so I cannot accompany you. However I have an old friend at the priory who can take you in. You will be safe there, I promise it."

"Can I at least leave behind a letter?" The girl piped up as the knight began loading the horse's side-bags. "I want to leave him something to remember me by."

"I've already left something behind for you. I'm afraid we do not have time to spare."

Celica smiled. "You're right! Tobin and the others won't be lonely with you around!"

The horse neighed in complaint of being woken up so late, but the other mares were too tired to bother. Sir Mycen helped the girl up his steed, and sat right behind her. In the darkness he found the reins and held them tight. As they exited the stable, Celica looked around at her old home one last time.

"I'm proud of you, Celica." Mycen said. "Shall we leave?"

"Mhm." The girl nodded. "Grandp-, um, Sir Mycen. Do you think I'll see Alm again?"

"That's not a promise I can make, but I'll do everything I can to make that a reality." The man gulped. "Let's go, little princess."

* * *

It was only a few days before Mycen reached the Zofian Harbor, and an even shorter while for him to cross the seas. His friend received Celica with open arms and vowed she would be kept safe. The knight, however, was not eased by his words. Rumors had it pirate activity was increasing along the coastlines. The girl gave her protector a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

He rode his horse down the familiar route from Zofia Castle. On his way there, he had to wear a hood to conceal his identity. King Lima IV did not take his presence kindly next to the royal residences.

Not that Mycen really cared – he just wanted to enjoy some mead and mutton in peace. The man did not get to travel often. Just as luck had it, he was returning to the village at dusk. The guards would be surprised, but probably relieved to see the old man come home.

"Huh? That's odd…" He said to himself.

Mycen suddenly pulled on his horse's reins, causing it to halt abruptly. He heard movement on the other side of the brush. The forest was filled with green but the abundance of evergreens and oak made echoes easy to hear.

"I hear someone, over there!"

"Yes sir, moving."

However he was too late. The strangers in the forest heard the knight as well. Slowly they emerged from behind the bushes. Two patrol's worth of cavaliers started assembling in front of Mycen, whose mare stood vexingly.

"Hold!" One of the men said. He was wearing royal armor. "Under the orders of the Zofian Army!"

"I think you have the wrong person." Mycen replied calmly.

"Do we? I'll be damned if we were."

A familiar voice sounded from the back of the force. The cavaliers made way for their captain to reveal himself. The purple-haired warrior smirked as he saw Sir Mycen. The brief silence afterwards was only filled by the sound of crickets.

"Slayde." The knight narrowed his eyes.

"And Sir Mycen!" The captain bellowed, stroking his short beard. "I must thank you for the fine wounds you've dealt me our first encounter! A humble welcome indeed."

"You were threatening young children, foul vagrant." Mycen spat. "Don't think I have forgotten what transpired that evening."

Slayde prodded the back of his steed. "Fond memories. I'm simply visiting this settlement, and will soon be off. Too bad I haven't enough time to deal with you."

As he spoke, the rest of the cavaliers began turning their backs to Mycen. The knight unsheathed a silver lance. It had been years since he had let trespassers trouble innocent villagers. He had no intention of having that impressive streak die.

"Wait." He exclaimed. "You're way too late. She's not here anymore."

The Zofian captain blinked. "I had a feeling that was the case. Spit it out, geezer. Where is the girl?"

"I dropped her off somewhere." Mycen said. "Far away with another guardian."

"Then you shall tell us where she is." Slayde retorted.

"Even if you do manage to capture me, I won't yield. Nothing you do will work, for even I do not know where she is at this point"

The cavaliers behind Slayde started discussing among themselves in livid concern. Their captain folded his arms and thought for a brief moment. He then yelled at his troops to keep order, and turned back to the old man.

"A shame then. You are of no use to us." Slayde shrugged. "General Desaix will be pleased to hear about your demise. I hope the Mother has grand plans for you in the afterlife"

"Bring it on, rat." Sir Mycen said. He was pleased the Zofian captain took his lie. Slayde unsheathed his own lance. "Your repulsive lives end here, once and for all."

Slayde's steed rushed forth. The captain lowered his weapon and stabbed forwards. Mycen easily dodged to the side and returned with a slash. The attack was quickly parried.

The two were on opposite sides of each other. Mycen gripped his weapon harder and panted. His adversary had improved much when they first fought.

"Come at me, dastard." Slayde taunted. "I learned from my past mistakes. Too bad you don't have half a dozen kids to fight beside."

"Quit talking and battle." The knight retorted.

As he spoke, the twenty-or-so cavaliers began forming a long wall behind Mycen. There were no more avenues of escape, he was trapped. Adrenaline capable of fueling an entire army ran through his body.

"Very well." The Zofian captain said, "Since you inquired, I must keep to my tight schedule. Soldiers, charge the man!"

"For Zofia!"

The patrol charged forth, brandishing an assortment of lances and swords. With Slayde in front of him and his henchmen approaching from behind, Mycen had no choice but to turn around. The predator locked onto its prey, and leapt forth.

"Hrah!"

The first two cavaliers came from both sides in a predictable fashion. The knight kicked up speed, making the Zofians' attack deflect off his horse's armor. He then brought the blade on his lance down, knocking both of them off their steeds with ease.

The next three quickly formed a triangle around Mycen. One accidentally charged in prematurely. Her attack was repelled and the knight landed a blow through her chest armor. The other two looked at each other and backed off.

The rest of the patrol surrounded Sir Mycen. There were simply too many to handle. A few jumped in from the rear, landing quick strikes on Mycen's ride. The horse neighed in pain and kicked backwards. The knight was caught off-guard by the cavaliers' speed.

"Knaves! You will pay for this!"

He shouted in rage as he swung his lane forward, knocking a young Zofian off his horse. The remaining soldiers trotted towards the old knight. Mycen shook his head in exasperation and prepared to strike forth.

A young man slashed downward with his sword. The knight raised his lance to block.

Then a sharp pain began spreading through his lower torso.

"You-"

One by one the cavaliers lowered their arms. Some maintained blank expressions on their face, while the others widened their eyes in disbelief.

Sir Mycen looked down. The end of a lance protruded from his stomach. His armor had failed.

"Heh." Slayde was behind him, triumphant.

The knight's mare would have easily dodged such a lackluster attack, but the wounds on her back legs stopped her. In the end there were simply too many brigands.

"Hnng." The knight clutched his chest. With a mighty effort, the Zofian captain pulled his weapon out from his body. Mycen fell onto the ground, crawling up to his knees. "Impossible. I..."

"How very disappointing." Slayde scoffed. "After all the trouble you caused us, it appears your age has finally caught up."

Mycen's body convulsed in defiance but he felt his energy drain fast. A small puddle of blood began forming on the ground underneath him. He coughed violently into the ground. Even the smell of nature felt strange to the knight, as his senses started fading.

"It wasn't… supposed to end like this." He grunted. "Alm… Celica. I'm sorry. I won't be seeing you after all..."

Mycen's body collapsed lamely onto the ground as the last ounce of strength left him. The last thing he heard as everlasting darkness overtook his vision, was Sir Slayde yelling at his soldiers to bury the body.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey Everyone! Welcome to Fire Emblem Echoes: Hearts of Iron.**

 **In this semi-novelization, one small change to how Mycen sends off Celica snowballs into a completely different story, and a completely different Alm! Please consider reading the first 3 chapters of this story before deciding whether or not to continue. I need time to show you my ideas and writing style!**

 **I expect this story to have a long run, so I hope you tag along for the ride. I don't have any set pairings right now for any of the main characters, so I'll have to think more about that. Please leave reviews if you have the time! Any feedback will be used to improve the quality of subsequent chapters.**

 **See you next Chapter!**


	2. Act 0-2: Abandonment

_**Act 0 Chapter 2**_ **  
Abandonment (Alm)**

The small boy rummaged through his grandfather's house, alongside three other young children. They had been searching around Ram Village's woods for the entire week. Sir Mycen and young Celica took off a few nights ago, without explanation or reason. The green-haired boy named Alm vehemently turned over parchment on Sir Mycen's desk, desperate for any clues.

"Found anything yet?" Tobin called. The slimmer but taller male was pulling open drawer after drawer. He pulled out wooden carvings with delicacy.

"No…" Alm shook his head in annoyance. "Where could have grandpapa gone…?"

"Gods, the village watch have already searched the entire forest." Gray, a slightly more mischievous boy complained. "And they finished the day before yesterday! I say the old man's on a secret vacation."

Alm scratched his green hair and sat down on a stool. When he woke up and first found Sir Mycen had disappeared, he assumed the worst. The night watch said they saw nothing, but the smell of alcohol on their breaths ruled out any certainty.

The boy had cried that entire morning, wondering if the Zofian army had taken them away. Faye and Tobin tried their best to comfort him – even joining his makeshift search party. Gray on the other hand was entirely convinced.

"I mean… he would leave behind a letter right?" He sighed. "Grandpapa's a very careful man. I miss training with him already. And Celica…"

Upon hearing the girl's name, another person called out.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon Alm! And don't worry! Sir Mycen goes too hard on you in swordplay anyways!" The voice belonged to Faye, the light brunette of the gang. She was in Alm's room, making a complete mess of the place.

"Faye? What are you doing in my bedroom?" Alm shouted back.

A moment of silence.

"Looking for clues, silly!" She replied.

"Huh."

 _As if I hadn't searched there yet, ugh._ Alm thought in exasperation. Their home was slightly bigger than the average house in the village. Grandpapa took his fortunes from service and purchased the entire lot. Cobwebs were beginning to multiply on the high roof. None of the children's arms could reach them.

"Told ya." Gray shrugged. "I don't blame Sir Mycen. I mean, after being stuck in Ram Ranch for so long, anyone would want out."

"Hey, that's not the point." Tobin retorted. "What about Celica? It's strange she-"

Faye exclaimed again. "Hey guys! I think I found something! Come here!"

"She actually found something in my room?" Alm's eyes widened.

The three boys left the living room and ran into a small bedroom through a hallway. Faye was sitting on the boy's bed, proudly holding a letter in her hands. There was a red vellum seal on top of it, indicating it was written by a Zofian commander.

"Wow, you haven't been looking very well, Alm." Tobin complained.

"Wait. The letter's been open." The green-haired boy pointed.

Indeed the seal was broken, leaving an open side. Faye looked into the slit and stuffed a tiny hand into it. She felt around, and pulled out a big deal of nothing. The letter was completely empty, to everybody's disappointment.

"What a tease." Gray scoffed. "Maybe he got a letter from someone else, but threw his trash in your room."

Alm lowered his heads. "Y-yeah, that's one way of looking at it. We already searched Celica's room, so there's nowhere left to go…"

He smacked his fist into the wall, not expecting the sharp pain afterwards. Days of searching in the forest with the villagers amounted to absolutely nothing. His friends also had their spirits crushed. Life was not the same without Celica.

"Hey!" A young boy yelled outside. "You guys!"

Through the large window the four children saw their last friend in a well-fitted tunic run over. His eyes bore a horrified expression in his face. Gray left the room, unlocking the door to let the blond villager in. Alm and Tobin gathered next to him.

Tobin cleared his throat. "Kliff! What's up pal?"

"S-Slayde is here!" The boy panted. "He's brought an entire patrol of soldiers over!"

"What?" Alm exclaimed. "That dastard found his place here after all!"

"I bet he has something to do with Sir Mycen and Celica's disappearance." Tobin declared. "If we can convince the rest of the village, we can gang up on them!"

"Yeah, sounds good!" Gray commented. "Let's go!"

Worried what the foul Zofian guard will do, Tobin, Gray, and Kliff were the first to run out of the house. Alm put his face into his hands, hoping no more fighting would happen. His eyes followed from his hands to the right side of the room.

"Um, Faye?" He blinked.

"Yeah, Alm?"

"…I think it's time to get off my bed."

"Oh you're right! Let's go together, Alm!"

The girl hesitated before jumping off his bed, and the two ran towards the door. The villagers outside were already gathering around the Zofian visitors. The boy took a deep breath before joining his friends' side. In the middle of the patrol, Sir Slayde gazed at the young boy curiously.

 **[…]**

"Scoundrel!" Alm spat. "Get out of this village!"

"Oh." Slayde said. The man looked genuinely surprised by the threat. "I'm sorry, child. Did I do something to wrong you?"

"Don't play dumb Slayde!" Gray gritted his teeth. "You tried to kill us!"

The cavaliers behind Slayde looked at their captain in confusion. Vigorous chattering infected the men and women of Ram Village. Alm regretted not pulling out his practice sword from the house before. Sir Mycen would have struck already.

"Those are… stinging accusations." Slayde replied. "I'm sure there's been a grave misunderstanding here."

"He was in the forest a few days ago!" Gray replied. "He started to f-."

"Oh, quiet young one." One of the older ladies interrupted. "This gentlemanly fellow has been nothing but kind to us this morning. Where are your manners?"

The children looked at each other in panic. Sir Mycen advised them to not tell anybody about the fight they had with the Zofian knight. There was no need to scare the entire village then. Now that grandpapa was gone…

"We're telling the truth!" Tobin whined. "He attacked us! Sir Mycen saved the entire Ram Village from that guy! He threatened to take off Faye's head!"

"Oh now I know you're joking." A farmer narrowed his eyes. "You kids sure have a livid imagination."

"Please forgive them." Slayde said. "When I was a lad their ages, I would tell all sorts of crazy escapades with my friends. While my forces are stationed here, I'll make sure this village stays safe."

The villagers began clapping for the brave words of the captain. Faye, upon being cruelly reminded of the daunting threat, broke out into tears and clutched onto Alm's chest. The green-haired boy stared back at Slayde with contempt.

"I know you folk don't have much, but we're in a fraught situation." The Zofian continued. "If there is any food you can spare…"

"Certainly, Sir Slayde!" A cartwright bellowed. "We will hold a feast in our countrymen's honor!"

Alm and company watched in horror as the strangers won over the hearts of Ram Village. The folks were already upset that Mycen and Celica were missing. Any good news felt like Mila extending a branch of peace towards them.

"Those vile royals are going to wine and dine at my hometown?" Gray shook his fist at the visitors. "Not on my watch!"

"Wait, Gray." Kliff whispered. "The grown-ups don't believe our story. If we trouble them anymore, we might get punished by our parents."

"He's right." Alm said. "We need to lay low for now. I feel like he's the key to finding out where grandpapa and Celica are!"

Defeated, the five young'uns retreated from the crowd, back to Mycen's large house. They each grabbed a chair and sat around the table, waiting for the celebration to end outside. A part of Alm wanted to grab his sword and ambush the Zofian commander, when he had the chance. The other part told him to be patient.

"Um, sorry guys." Tobin snuffled. "I think the way I spoke was a bit too dramatic, and, well, I-"

Gray slumped his head onto the cedar table.

"Shut up, Tobin."

* * *

The cavaliers, in spite of serving Zofian royalty, ate with the villagers with civil manners. Alm's belief that everyone serving under King Lima would be arrogant, was completely shattered by their behavior. Even Slayde was acting almost tolerable. The old guard was making quaint jokes with the night watch. The boy admitted his scheming act was quite convincing.

The five village children were spying behind a bush. The celebration of potatoes, bread, and dried meat. The Zofian guard was helping the farmers of Ram clean up after themselves. Slayde himself stood at the side, watching everyone else clean.

"Hey these strangers are pretty nice." Gray noted. "Why did such a prick have to lead them? What a waste."

"Hey guys!" Faye whispered. She pulled back from the bush and rubbed her hands together. "He's looking straight at us. I don't think we were hiding very well…"

"Keep quiet." Kliff said. "Unless you want a death sentence."

Slayde looked around again, and when everyone was finished he walked towards the bush. The children freaked out and hid behind Alm, not because he was a leader figure, but because he was the slowest one to back up.

"Snap!" Tobin said. "We're done for!"

The Zofian captain brushed aside the leaves and stared at the boys and girl. He was much taller up-close.

"Hello again, whelps." Slayde said.

"Eek!" Kliff shrunk backwards. He was at the back of the bunch.

The Zofian coughed. "I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I am here to apologize for what transpired days ago."

Alm looked around the bush. He noticed that everybody was packing up and about to go home. The terrifying stranger's promises and apologies meant nothing if no adults were around to listen. The boy stomped his foot down defiantly.

"You clearly tried to attack us, and tried to kidnap Celica!" he retorted. "I suppose you know where she is, you sick brigand!"

"No idea where she is." Slayde shrugged.

"And Sir Mycen?"

The Zofian's eyes gleamed at the mention of grandpapa. Tobin and Gray swallowed loudly before they finally stopped clinging onto Alm. The experienced captain took a moment of uncomfortable silence before replying.

"I do not know where Sir Mycen is either." He said. "Think about it this way, children. Why would I come to Ram Village, if I knew they weren't here?"

"That makes sense." Gray frowned. "But that means you're looking too! You're going to kill them once you find them!"

"We can talk about that another time." Slayde raised an eyebrow. "I already searched the entire village, and it looks like you twerps don't have any clues. We will leave without causing any trouble for your line of hovels."

 _Are we really going to let someone who wants to kidnap Celica and kill Grandpapa walk free?_ Alm thought. The fact pained him but there was nothing he could do. None of the grown-ups would listen to them, not without Sir Mycen present. Five kids could barely take on a single armed lancer.

"We'll definitely find them before you!" Alm challenged. "When Sir Mycen comes back, he will beat back all of you rotten knights!"

"Doubt it, but a young lad can dream." Slayde yawned. "I suppose you don't accept the apology then."

"Not if our lives depended on it!" The boy replied.

Kliff shuffled his sandals. "Um, sure. What he said."

"Interesting. But think about this for a second." The captain brought up. "You said you did not know where Mycen is, right? That means he left without heads-up."

"Yes." Alm answered cautiously.

Slayde suddenly straightened his back. The mere motion caused everyone to jump back a few steps. Faye was no longer crying. Rather, she was staring at the older man with the same intensity the boys were. Slayde looked as if he was performing several calculations in his mind.

"Alright, then consider his reasoning." The captain provoked. "Why would he leave with Celica all of a sudden without telling anyone? I am not the most pious man in Valentia, but even I can tell when someone's pulling strings."

Alm looked back at his friend Gray, who gave puzzled looks. They decided to listen.

"Not even waiting to say goodbye. I mean, it would be fine if he expected to return, but that's obviously not the case." Slayde continued. "He's probably realized how much of a pitiful dump he lived in, and took little Celica to a better place! Too bad a horse can only carry two people."

"Now you're not making sense." Tobin said. "Mycen loves this village! He's played with us since we were little, and taught us the art of the sword."

"He loves the village?" The captain stroked his thin beard. "Or, did he pretend to love the village, to make Celica happier? She's by far the more important one."

"I highly doubt that." Kliff replied.

The green-haired boy closed his eyes and ran through every possibility. Slayde brought a perspective they have never considered before. As much as he hated to admit it, there was a small possibility the wretched man was correct.

"Celica and I are not related by blood." Alm grunted. "Sir Mycen is my grandfather, and he is also Celica's ward."

"Yeah. What kind of grandfather would value a foster child over his own kin?" Gray smirked, as if the reasoning was obvious to him.

"The kind who also never told Alm why he left the village." Slayde replied in an equally matter-of-fact manner.

The green-haired boy touched his left arm. There was no way he was going to show Slayde the brand on his left hand. The man stunk of foulness and deception. _There is no reason for him to help me figure out my past at all!_ He thought.

"I don't think grandpapa is hiding any secrets from me." Alm said. "He's been with me my entire life, and I trusted him at every turn."

"Um, you're not going to kill us for disagreeing, right?" Tobin ventured out with an irrelevant question. Gray and Kliff gave him a look of incredibility.

"Then I guess we're done here." Slayde said. "You don't know where they are, and neither do I. S'pose its bedtime for you lot anyways. Go on now."

A cloud rolled over the moon, making Ram Village fall into its shadow. Nighttime came quicker than usual. Alm turned back to his friends and nodded. Their parents, except for one of them, would come out and look for them anyways.

"We're not done yet Slayde." The boy grunted. "When Sir Mycen comes back, we're going to kick your ass once and for all."

"When he comes back." The captain repeated in a mocking fashion. "Face it kid. He's abandoned you for another cause. Old man's not coming back anytime soon."

While discarding Alm's threat, the man returned to the small inn, located near the center of Ram Village. The children agreed to retire for the night. Alm returned home alone. He spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed.

 **[…]**

In the morning, the Zofian cavaliers thanks their hosts and left. Some of them even left silver marks behind, but the kids thought it was another tactic of Slayde to win over their hearts. The kids met up in the place where Mycen used to teach them how to fight with a sword. They did not have much to say to each other.

"What do we do now?" Kliff asked. "We're fresh out of ideas."

"Nothing." Gray said. "We already searched everywhere. All we can do is to wait for Mycen to return. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss training."

"True…" Alm managed to say.

Slayde's words had an effect on him last night. The green-haired boy did not want to believe he had been abandoned. However, sleeping in the same old house, alone, without anyone at his side, changed his perspective on the issue.

"What am I going to do?" The boy exasperated. "I'm all alone. The night watch won't pay my household since Mycen went missing. If grandpapa doesn't return in a few weeks, I would be left without money or food."

"That's terrible." Faye said. "I hope that doesn't happen."

Alm silently thanked the girl but knew that kind words was not enough. He had been relying on generous donations from Gray's and Kliff's family but that would not last forever. Faye tried to teach him how to cook, with limit success.

"Uh, I actually have a suggestion." Tobin piped up. "A serious one, this time."

The others rolled his eyes at the slim boy whose chronic nervousness was in full bloom yesterday. Alm looked up hopingly. _Anything would help at this point_ , he thought.

"As you know, my family has younger siblings." Tobin said. "We're making ends meet right now, but we can use some extra space."

"You want to use our property?" His friend asked precariously.

"Yeah, in turn our family helps take care of you. Food. Necessities. Everything" The boy offered. "Normally, Mother would talk to you, but she said you would be more enthusiastic if I was the one who asked."

Everyone looked at Alm who considered the offer. Tobin let out an open arm of welcome. If the offer lasted until Sir Mycen returned, it might just work. The green-haired boy's rumbling stomach made the choice for him.

"I guess since I'm the only one, your little brothers and sisters can use the spare rooms." Alm decided. "Only until grandpapa returns."

"Great!" Tobin said. "Er, welcome to the family!"

And just like that, Alm bartered his way into a new family. Tobin's family was a resilient one. How resilient? Enough to tolerate the slim boy as the eldest sibling of the house. As far as Mycen's grandson was concerned, the arrangement would last at most a fortnight.

"Yeah." He repeated solemnly. "Welcome to the family."

"That's odd." Kliff commented. "Under this deal's logic, wouldn't Tobin's mother want Sir Mycen and Celica to stay away from Ram Village as long as possible?"

"Odd? Don't you mean lucky?" Faye sniffed. "If only I had younger siblings I could probably live in Alm's place as well."

"Hey, let's train some more, by ourselves!" Gray cut in. "Sir Mycen will get mad at us if we grew soft in his absence!"

"Mhm, good idea!"

With the issue of food and money settled, the children continued playing and being children as usual. Alm's mind was eased somewhat. He met up with the grown-ups and finalized the home-sharing agreement. Tobin's sibling seemed equally excited to be staying over at a new home. The mother of the household gave Alm a big hug, whispering that everything will be alright.

It did not feel like how Mycen comforted him, but it sufficed. Alm returned home that evening wondering when his grandpapa and cousin would return.

And again the day after.

And again the day after.

And again…

Sir Mycen never did return.

What seemed at first a temporary deal, ended up lasting for the rest of Alm's childhood. Without anything to remember her by, any memories of Celica fled the boy's mind like a flock of geese. In a matter of time he forgot everything about the little girl, and wanted to forget everything related to grandpapa.

Yet Alm's journey was only just beginning.

 **End of Act 0**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Sorry for the grammatical mistakes in the first chapter. My word processor completely broke down on me. Thankfully, it's back and running! We are officially done with Act 0!**

 **Now hold on a second. If you're looking for a really cool Fire Emblem Echoes novelization, I highly recommend you check out my friend Cormag Ravenstaff's newest fic:** **Façade** **. It adheres more to the original timeline, but with several interesting changes along the way.**

 **Alm dies in his childhood, leading Sir Mycen to start training "another" hero. Conflicts between ideals and identity ensue. I can't say much more so I recommend you take a look for yourselves! We're just starting our adventures. If you want a nice double dose of Echoes adventures, check out both our stories!**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


	3. Act 1-1: Cartwright

_**Act 1 Chapter 1**_ **  
Cartwright (Alm)**

The cartwright watched his eldest son and the foster child pry the wagon. Alm forgot how many years it has been since Tobin's father took him in. He had fit in quite well with the family, becoming an apprentice of the former logger.

"We added reinforcement the back." Tobin folded his arms. "The front wheels are also larger than the back ones for some reason. They need to be replaced later."

"Alm?" The father looked at the second boy. "Your thoughts?"

"Um, yes." He stuttered. "What he said."

The man sighed and kneeled closer to the cart. The two customers, visitors to Ram Village, watched over the family. The skies were cloudy, threatening a storm over the territory. Months ago the folks of the settlement would have hated rain. After the second crop failure last season, it was one of the only things they prayed for.

"You two still have a lot to learn." Tobin's father finally said. "Your siblings are growing up quickly. Soon we're gonna need extra help making a living."

The eldest son stepped away from the cart. "Of course, Father! Alm and I will make our labor worth it!"

"Yeah…" Alm nodded. "Definitely."

"Then today's lessons are finished. Get some rest before tomorrow's shift."

The man dismissed the two, who quickly left the customers' side. Old Mycen's house was repurposed into a small workshop. Most of the bedrooms were torn down for storing tools and lumber. As they made way to their usual hangout, the green-haired boy punched the exterior of his old house and took a deep breath.

"Alm, you alright?" Tobin asked.

"Is this the best I can aspire to?" He asked. "Making carts for the rest of my life? Crafting's not even my strong suit…"

The older sibling shook his head. "Sorry friend. It's the family profession. Would you rather herd to cows?"

Alm leaned against the outside wall. Ever since his grandfather left Ram Village, he and his friends' swordplay have plateaued. All their parents were either farmers or craftsmen - none of them have gotten into a fight before. Tobin snuck in some bow training last month, but he has only ever used it for hunting.

"I see your point." Alm said solemnly. "I was just hoping for a more exciting lifestyle – something more exhilarating."

"I'm sure something will come up." Tobin shrugged. "Rebellions are popping up all over the place in Zofia, no thanks to that spud king of ours."

The lads walked to the back of the old barn. Kliff, and Gray were waiting for them, having finished their day jobs. Gray had all opted to help their families till the lands, but Kliff was more open-minded. Everyday his head was buried into books. Rumor had it, he wished to study magic at an "academy", whatever that was.

Faye was noticeably absent, probably looking for Alm elsewhere.

"You guys finished late today." Gray commented. "Did you piss off old Mister Wagonwheels again?"

"Ha, ha. Classic." Tobin said sarcastically. "We have been tending to two wealthy clients who came all the way from the southern outpost."

"Work's the same as always." Alm replied simply. "Dull."

Tobin looked like he wanted to add a few words, but decided against it. The former children used to play games such as hide-and-seek or Dragons and Duma. As they aged the same mundane activities lost their charm. They tried their luck at the only pub of Ram Village occasionally, but were often kicked out.

"Hey guys, I brought something for you all today!" Gray pulled out a leather bag from the grass and dusted it. Alm and the others gathered around him.

"It better not be another flask of wine." Kliff muttered.

"No, not that." Gray said, digging through the mess. "This!"

He finally produced a piece of vellum with odd scribblings on it. The rest of his friends sat down next to him and tried deciphering the nonsense in front of them. It was no use. Gray could not write a legible sentence to save his own life.

"What does it say?" Tobin inquired.

"Right, remember when Sir Mycen trained us by the sword, for Ram Village and our own protection? Well after he disappeared and-"

Kliff and Tobin gave the villager a dark look, causing him to stop in the middle of his sentence. Gray glanced at Alm in a panic. He stared back in confusion.

"Sorry about that Alm." Gray said sheepishly, "That was uncalled for."

"Don't worry about it." Alm said monotonously. "The past is the past. I can't get upset with every single mention of him."

Kliff nodded. "Right! Keep going with your written mess."

"Sure." Gray said. "Anyways, ever since then, we've stopped sword-fighting altogether. I overheard a couple of the village guard planning to hold their first training sessions tonight. I wrote down the location, right here!"

The other villagers considered his words carefully. Alm himself looked at the darkening sky. _If grandpapa was still here, he would have rejected it wholeheartedly._ He thought. _He never wanted me to leave this damn village_.

"Ugh, pass." Tobin said. "The only weapon I've even touched recently is the bow."

"Count me out as well." Kliff said. "I would rather study at home. After I get accepted into the Royal Academy, I'll have little need for combat training."

"Aw, come on guys!" Gray sulked. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Don't you remember the good old days when I kept my win streak against Tobin?"

The rival frowned. "I certainly don't."

Essentially an orphan, a sense of freedom seized Alm. The world extended far beyond Ram Village. He heard stories of mountains and oceans and animals he could not even imagine before. The thought of trying something new lured him in.

It could not be worse than being a cartwright.

"Let's do it." Alm said with excitement. "I'm in!"

"Really? Hell yeah!" Gray grinned. "Now that's the Alm we know and love!"

The remaining two looked at him, puzzled.

"I mean, at the very least we should check it out right?" Alm continued. "It's been forever since we last fought. Do we even remember any self-defense?"

Gray nodded vigorously in agreement, raising an arm for a high-five. It was struck down by Tobin who looked disapprovingly. All they have done was talk for hours after work every day. The eldest in the group of friends wanted something more.

"You know what? I'm with my friend on this one." Tobin said. "No harm in taking a look. Father probably wants me to keep an eye on him, anyways."

 _Thanks, Tobin!_ Alm gave him a nod of gratitude.

Kliff looked away from the old barn, into the woods beyond. "True. If I'm going to leave the village one day, might as well see some things before I go."

Alm blinked in surprise. He had not expected his voice to carry that much influence over the group. Their practice swords were still in storage, untouched for several months. A part of his mind yearned for the day he would unsheathe it again.

"Awesome!" Gray clapped his hands together in glee. "Alright gentlemen, we have a long ass night ahead of us."

 **[…]**

The four watched from two tall trees, some couple hundred paces from the village. Tobin and Gray were sitting together, as was Kliff and Alm. About a dozen young men and women were sparring at each other below. They were monitored by four soldiers, each carrying practice lances.

"Wow they're slow." Tobin noted. "We were at their speed years ago!"

"They just started training." Kliff said nonchalantly. "Give them a break."

Alm looked intensely at the villagers' footwork.

A leap forward. A lowered posture, with feet grounded for better movement.

"Hey Gray." He prompted. "How often do these guys meet?"

A step sideways to parry. A slash forward to control spacing.

"Twice every week. Same location."

A quick stab to catch the foe off-guard. A small retreat to dodge the attack.

Alm sat up from his tree. "That settles it. I'm coming here twice every week. If I improve enough, I'm going to enlist."

Torches lit the ground, making the shadows dance on the soft ground.

Kliff was taken aback "The Village? Why not settle down for the quiet life of a tradesman instead? The number of barbarian attacks around here are staggering!"

He grabbed both of Alm's arms as if he was mad. His eyes were filled with genuine concern for her friend. In spite of that, he was shaken off easily as Alm continued watching. Tobin hissed at everyone to keep their noises down.

"I'm done with quiet." He said. "When grandpapa left six years ago, I spent half of 'em as a depressed hermit. I lost so many opportunities for fun when I was little… I never wanted to become the guy who fixes damn carts! No offense Tobin."

"None taken." He said.

"I want a sense of purpose for myself." Alm declared. "If Mycen was still here, we would be training to this day. I don't know if he truly abandoned me or not, but I _do_ know that the things taught us are important."

The silence that followed the statement lasted longer than he anticipated. In truth, Alm did not care how his friends would respond. From the corner of his view, he could see a very excited Gray smile broadly from ear to ear.

Kliff folded his arms mockingly. To him, fighting was the antithesis to learning. "I kind of want depressed Alm back now."

 _If grandpapa never abandoned me, and eventually returns… No. It's been seven years. He won't suddenly pop up._ Still, a thought bounced around in his head.

 _Wasn't there someone else who went missing?_

* * *

"Shah!"

Alm rushed forth with his practice sword. His opponent prepared to block the attack, but backed up instead. The boy took advantage of the indecisiveness, and struck the left leg. The foe suddenly lost balance and fell backwards.

"Kyaa!"

"Nice…" He said. "Wait, you alright? Crap!"

The girl's back was to the ground, eyes closed and sword knocked away. Alm's forehead became sweaty as he rushed towards her in a hurry. Fearing she hit her noggin awkwardly, he kneeled down and raised her head with his arms.

Eventually an exasperated sigh escaped him.

"Uh, Faye." He finally said. "I can tell you're awake."

"Aww." The girl sulked. "I wanted us to remain like this a bit longer."

It was sunny again. The dry air wilted the weeds that surrounded the grassy fields. For the past two months, Alm and the rest of his friends spied on the recruits' training. Faye joined the team later, initially very upset with their decision.

Alm impatiently beckoned the girl to stand back up. She dusted off her plain tunic and grabbed her sword. Of the five friends who stuck together forever, she was in most need of improvement. Badly.

"Thanks for listening to Gray and the others." He said. "I wasn't expecting you to join our training, but I appreciate you being here."

"Oh don't mention it!" Faye laughed. "I just don't want to be left behind!"

"Speaking of left behind, I'm surprised Kliff and Tobin agreed too. I was afraid it would just be Gray and I in the end…"

He and Tobin kept sword training a secret from their cartwright father. Whatever free time they had after their shifts they spent practicing in the fields behind the old barn or near the forest. Their weapons were in poor condition from sheer age.

"If course we'd say yes!" Faye beamed. "You were so miserable and lonely after moving in with your new family. The others said: 'your eyes were so filled with life the moment you first saw the village guard'. They just couldn't say no!"

"Wow. I never expected you guys to care so much." The young man blinked. "Gods I've been a jerk to everyone for so long… Thanks, for everything."

When Tobin's family first accepted Alm, he pushed himself away from everyone. He snapped at the girl every instance she checked in on him, but Faye never stopped persisting. She was the one who brought him out of his former cocoon.

"No problem! Just be sure to smile Alm!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're happier now, right? I haven't seen a smile in ages!"

"Uh…"

"Then come on. For me?"

The request was so odd Alm could only give her a blank stare. Nobody was around to witness the peculiar scene. Faye tried to give her own encouraging smile. The villager coughed into his arm, stifling a chuckle in the process.

"Sorry, Faye." Alm said. "I can't. Not until I've accomplished something worth smiling about."

"Oh, that's alright!" The girl said. "Just tell me when that instant is, and I'll be there to smile by your side!"

Her words almost forced Alm into a small grin. He shook his head incredulously and drew out his sword again. The two continued fighting, in a more serious manner, until the sun was about to set and it was too dark for safe fighting.

Faye's words carried a bit of truth. He never felt more alive than before.

 **[…]**

The two returned to the old barn, where the other three lads were waiting. The rest of the village was packing up their businesses for the day. Tobin and Gray had several bruises on each other. Meanwhile Kliff was grumpily patching them up.

"Gods, what happened to the both of you?" Alm questioned. "You look like two feral cats who hissed at each other the wrong way."

"Nothing much." Gray straightened his back proudly. "Just a champion defending his title."

"That was a cheap move." Tobin winced as Kliff examined his wound. "You're way too reckless with your sword, man."

"And what was Kliff doing?" Faye asked.

The boy shrugged. "They wanted me to referee the match. Gray won two to one."

The two rivals continued arguing over who won the engagement. Alm took a look at their swords – both were dangerously close to breaking. With the new swordsmith ripping everyone off in Ram Village, they could barely afford wooden ones.

"Hey Alm, how was _your_ training." Gray accused. "You two barely have any scratches on you. Don't tell me you've be slacking!"

"That might be the case." The green-haired boy admitted. "Faye's form is still off. I spent the evening teaching her proper movement."

"Sure." Gray narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry Alm!" Faye said proudly. "You can go as hard as you want on me!"

"…Alright then." Alm scratched the back of his head. At least she was _enthusiastic_.

Gray rolled his eyes and continued bickering with Tobin. Kliff looked as unimpressed as ever and pulled out a book from his leather pouch. _Five friends who grew up, but at the same time didn't._ Alm almost broke his old rule on smiling. He turned away to prevent his friends from catching him.

And, with Faye's inclusion, the gang was put back together again.

* * *

A few more weeks passed. Alm woke up one morning, actually excited to start his day. Even his lackluster enthusiasm towards cart-making grew slightly. Training was the correct antidote to his isolated past.

He and the others continued sparring until midnight for most of those days, until they believed they surpassed the village guard. Again, none of their parents would actually allow them to join, but it was a nice form of exercise.

Charging again, Alm jumped upward and slashed down at his foe.

Gray easily blocked the attack, but the force of the slash caught him unaware. He stumbled backwards, almost dropping the crate lid.

The green-haired boy moved forward again, sweeping his leg forward. He caught his foe's right leg. Gray fell on his behind in a clumsy thud. Alm stuck his sword in the ground, celebrating his win.

"Crud." Gray cursed. "That was sloppy of me."

"I won a round against Gray?" Alm said. "That doesn't happen usually."

"Yeah, that's because of all this mud." His friend complained, handing over the makeshift shield. "Here, you try now."

Picking up the wood, Alm reluctantly faced his foe. Gray and his green hairband was a force to be reckoned with. They frequently joked the accessory unlocked unspeakable powers for him. He crouched downward slightly and prepared to fight.

Before they could, they heard ringing from the old bell tower in the village. The boys put away their blades in confusion.

"Hey guys!" Another voice sounded from the other side of the old barn.

"Not now, Tobin!" Gray yelled. "Alm and I are tied! You can lose against me again in a few minutes!"

"No it's not that, asshole!"

Tobin came into view, sprinting towards his friends then halting in front. He took a few seconds to calm down. Alm noticed his face was turning white with exhaustion. He and Gray put away their practice blades immediately.

"Tobin?" Gray demanded. "You don't look so good."

"B-bandits!" The boy panted. "A whole bunch of them! They're on their way to attack Ram Village!"

"What?" Alm exclaimed.

"A wounded villager came running back from outside the settlement. He said a bunch of ruffians caught him snooping around, and they'll be coming to pillage our lands! The village guards told me so."

Alm's gasp of horror was met with Gray's smirk of interest. The three ran to the other side of the old barn. The elderly and the young were already returning to their homes. A few guards were running around, ordering everyone to lock their doors and windows for safety.

"Alright guys! Tobin, Alm, it's time to be the heroes of Ram Village!" Gray declared.

Tobin stared back. "Are you insane? We're not even part of the village guard!"

"No, we've been training nonstop for this moment." Alm said. "What good was everything we worked for, if we don't use it to defend our homeland?"

"But-"

"Do whatever you want." Gray retorted. "You will either be known as a valiant protector, or the Coward of Ram Ranch!"

The eldest of the bunch looked at the ground in contemplation. The large bell on top of a tower began ringing, notifying the villagers that an emergency was underway. Tobin finally looked up at both of his friends.

"Ugh, you guys are impossible." He said darkly. "I'll fight by your side. I hope Father won't get too mad if I injure my good arm."

"Excellent Tobin." Alm exclaimed. "We should grab Kliff and Faye. We meet in the village square with our weapons in five minutes?"

"Right. On it…"

As their friend jogged off, Alm and Gray checked their weapons. They were purposely blunted for practice, and they knew there was no time to sharpen them. The rusty exterior made them appear as if they could break at any moment.

"I guess we're in this together." Alm swallowed.

"Don't be regretful now. You've always wanted this, right?" Gray replied. "Ditch that wooden shield already. We got some bandits to fight off."

The two unsheathed their practice weapons and ran towards the middle of Ram Village. The sunset behind them turned red, coloring the whole horizon in shades of crimson. Alm felt his heart beat faster as the battle drew close.

It did not take Tobin long to find the others. Faye and Kliff were training by themselves next to their homes, before hearing the old bell tower. They ran quickly to the village square, where the others were already waiting.

"We're actually going to fight?" Kliff huffed as he arrived. "I can't believe it."

Gray gave him a thumbs-up. "Yup! We'll show them not to mess with us!"

"Oh no…" Faye whimpered. "Truth be told I never expected this day to come!"

Already things were going wrong. Faye and Kliff were exhausted from their training. The girl's sword was in even worse condition than Alm's. As the village guard was finishing their deployment, two lancers ran towards the small group.

"Hey, young ones!" He yelled. "This place is going to turn into a bloody mess soon! Get back to your houses and shut all the openings!"

"We can fight with you!" Gray shouted. "I suggest you let us join."

"Don't tell me you're planning on defending the village with those… things." The other lancer pointed at Alm's sword.

"We can hold our own." The boy replied.

"And your parents and wards are okay with this?"

Alm blinked. "Yeah." He lied.

Near the gates of Ram Village, a group of guards were already forming a blockade. The civilians have already retreated indoors, leaving the group alone. The captain of the guards yelled at the lancers to stop wasting time.

"Damn kids." One of them spat. "Just stay out of our bloody way."

Tobin swallowed. "Right. We'll stay on the inside, in case they break through."

The group of five patiently waited behind the main gates. Alm was at the front, flanked at the sides by Gray and Tobin. Kliff and Faye were on their own, to the left of their friends. Alm was secretly just as nervous as the rest.

 **[…]**

"Oi, they're coming!" The soldier on the watchtower shouted. "Get in position!"

Not even ten minutes had passed since the group of friends assembled. The man slid down the letter to join the main force. Each guard at the main gates lined together. They lowered their lances to form an intimidating pike wall.

Gray clutched his sword. "Guys, if we do well, they might hire us for the village guard immediately! Nice thought, huh?"

 _Tobin's dad wanted me to make a living. Fighting is perfect fine._ Alm thought.

"Cool to you perhaps." Kliff snapped. "I only wanted to learn how to defend myself. My plan is to explore the world, not fight everybody in it!"

"Quiet down." Alm hissed. "Let's survive this battle first."

He and the others watched the wall of soldiers at the gates. Behind them were two more patrols, each standing to the side as reserves. Loud incoherent shouts came from the distance. From the gaps in the human wall, they could see several unruly men running towards the gate.

Tobin's eyes widened. "That's a whole lot of bandits."

The village guard clashed with the invaders head on. Dozens of bodies and horrifying cries engulfed the gates. The two patrols to the side hunkered down nervously. The boys squinted to find out what was going on.

"Are they breaking through?" Faye asked.

"Lots of sticks and bodies but no movement." Tobin answered, being the tallest in the group. "This battle might be over before it even started."

A few seconds afterward, the guards began backing up from the gate. Small sticks protruded the walls surrounding the village. As the friends watched in awe, a head with a red hairband and luscious facial hair approached above the wood.

Gray lowered his sword. "Huh? What's going on?"

"They brought ladders to scale the wall." Kliff said worriedly. "This is bad."

They're on our flank!" A guard said. "Spread out! Before we're surrounded!"

Two more ladders hit the wall. Rabid barbarians crossed over, then jumped onto the soft ground in front of them. The two patrols separated completely. Soldiers ran all across the flank, desperate to stop the inflow of enemies.

"Gate's falling." Gray said. "We need to start moving."

"Okay, do we have a plan…?" Tobin grunted. "Alm? You're the one who asked me to summon the others?"

"Me? That was just a suggestion!" Alm said. "I don't know how to lead."

The lancers fled from the watchtower. A large group of savages broke through the wall of pikes, hacking away at the surprised guards. Four bandits saw the young villagers standing still. With a harsh chuckle they closed in.

"Someone tell us what to do!" Kliff shouted.

"Uh, uh…" Alm coughed. "Try to break them up into one-on-one fights! Faye, you team up with someone stronger."

"Eh? Okay!" The girl said.

The five spread out across the open. However the bandits were not stupid. They all decided to gang up on Gray, who was alone by a small house.

"Surround them and charge!" Alm commanded.

Tobin and Kliff took a second to react, but eventually they ran to opposite sides of the savages. Faye stayed by Alm's side incessantly, refusing to leave him.

She finally did after he shot an annoyed glance.

"Bring it on swines." Gray taunted. "I'll take all four of you!"

The four large men charged at the boy. One of them swung forth with an axe. Gray dodged to the left easily. The bandit's weapon cut through the wood and got stuck, eliciting a child's scream from the inside.

Alm took the opportunity to move in. While the others were distracted, he lunged forward and slashed at the unarmed bandit. The practice sword cut lightly, but it was enough to cause a cry of the pain. The other foes turned around, furious.

Tobin and Kliff came in from the side, each one targeting a different bandit. Their attacks also barely dented the men. The bandits finally left the old house's side. To Alm's benefit, the plan of separating his opponents worked.

A burly man with a stubby brown beard challenged the green-haired boy. Alm tried desperately to remember everything from training.

He made the first move, running forward with a cry. His sword clashed with the man's axe of iron. The bandit easily knocked it aside with his powerful muscles.

Alm jumped back before the man could swing again. He decided to let his foe approach. The bandit happily obliged and attacked.

The boy found himself on muddy ground and stepped aside sloppily. His movements were slightly too late. The thinnest part of the axe cleaved his right thigh. The sharp pain was unlike anything he felt before.

"Argh!" He cursed. "Crud!"

The boy held his side. A splotch of blood covered the seal on left hand. Sir Mycen would have chided him for getting hit.

He tried again, charging at the bandit with his sword in front. The foe lifted up his axe to block but Alm quickly found a weak spot. He plunged the sword into the bandit's leg. The man almost fell over, but kept his footing.

The bandit responded with a swing. Alm protected himself by parrying with his blade. Then his worst fears manifested.

The practice sword gifted to him broke off in the middle. Large pieces of metal dropped onto the ground in front of him. The rusty weapon was no more.

"Heh Say yer prayers." The bandit laughed, holding up his axe.

Alm backed up slowly, preparing to dodge.

His foe suddenly shouted in rage and turned around. Alm saw a thin trail of red coming from a piercing wound from his back. Another person was behind them.

"Alm! You alright?" Faye called.

"Faye look out!"

The bandit lashed out at the girl and swung his axe.

"Eek! I'm sorry for stabbing you sir!"

The girl ducked to avoid the blow and ran away. The rustic man chased after her. Alm was left alone, looking at what remained of his sword.

He observed his surroundings frantically. Tobin and Kliff were both fighting their own opponents. They have yet to land a blow. Gray was holding his own. He soon found himself overwhelmed, as a second bandit joined the fight against them.

Alm thought himself a fool for thinking the fight would be easy. Dead bodies, both the invaders and the village guard, littered the grounds around them. Some of the bandits were chopping down the wooden doors of the closed houses. The villagers screamed as ruffians intruded on their homes.

"Has all our weeks of training… been completely useless?" He spat.

The green-haired boy shuddered. His group of friends had yet to slay a single bandit. Their parents were probably worried sick their children weren't home.

Ram Village was about to fall. His only sword had shattered in front of him. Throughout the bloodcurdling screams in the village and clanging of bloodthirsty iron, one question resonated through his mind.

 _What kind of hell did I sign up for?_

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Sorry for ending so abruptly. These scenes are meant to show how this Alm differs from the canon Alm in Fire Emblem Echoes. We will conclude the battle next chapter, then move on from there.**

 **Responses:  
** **FanficLovingPerson:** _ **I've thought about expanding existing relationship, but I've decided there will be at least some changes with the canon. Most will remain the same, but other unexpected ones might pop up.**_

 **A Bad Person:** _ **Oh yeah, Alm is going to have lots of spite within him. Growing up a foster child, and then witnessing his village getting attacked will have a lasting effect on him.**_

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


	4. Act 1-2: Deliverance

**_Act 1 Chapter 2_  
Deliverance (Tobin)**

"Call reinforcements! Shove off those ladders!"

"Someone help! My friend's hurt!"

"Retreat to the ranch!"

"Oh Gods… Oh-"

Muffled voices were all around the villager. His vision was blurry and a painful headache seized him. Tobin sat up from the dirt path, blinking rapidly. The tall boy winced as he held his forehead.

He felt a firm hand on his back.

"What the hell!" Tobin broke a sweat. His headache faded into fearfulness. Behind him, to his relief, was a familiar face.

"That bandit got you good, didn't he?" Gray said. "Come on, get up. Those dastards are finally slowing down."

"Right…"

Tobin found his rusted sword on the ground and retrieved it. Beside him was a bandit, knocked unconscious. The boy shuddered a bit as he touched his forehead again. His fingers brushed over a soft bump.

 _Probably from a club or something,_ he thought.

"Where are the others?" Tobin asked. "Kliff, Alm?"

Gray looked around. "Don't you remember? We got separated during the fight. I have no idea where the others are."

"We need to find them then!"

Tobin stumbled forward. Gray stepped forward to catch him, but the boy steadied himself. The village guard were scattered around the village, fighting their own foes. Tobin led the way to the village square, where they heard the most shouting.

"There!"

Alm was sparring off against a ruffian next to some barrels. He cautiously dodged each axe swing, but was noticeably more clumsy than when he was training. Tobin dashed forward to assist his friend.

"Watch out!" Gray exclaimed. "Left side!"

The tall boy skid to a stop and held his sword upward, just in time to block a bandit's sword. Gray ran at the bandit. His attack just missed by a hair.

The brute snarled at the boys before breaking off. Tobin turned his attention back to Alm, whose sword was stuck inside his opponent's torso.

"Ugh…" The ruffian backed away from Alm and walked off.

"He's mine!"

Gray pursued the man in an attempt to finish him off. Tobin on the other hand ran straight for Alm. His friend sheathed his sword.

"Alm, you're alright!" Tobin said while panting. "Thank the Mother…"

"Just barely." He replied. "One of them landed a hit on me."

His left hand was covered red with blood. His thigh was also injured, though the wound was not too thick. What caught Tobin's sight was his friend's blade. An unusual luster enveloped the clean metal.

"What happened to your sword?" He demanded.

"My practice one broke. I picked up one from a guard."

Tobin widened his eyes. "You stole it?"

"He was already dead."

The two looked around but Gray had already disappeared. About a dozen more invaders arrived from an adjacent street, pouring into the battlefield.

"This whole thing was a big mistake, Tobin." Alm spat. "They're too powerful."

"What do we do then? All the houses are locked." He swallowed. "If we try to break in, they'll mistake us for the bandits!"

"Then we run and hide until everything's over."

"Phew. I can get behind that!"

Jumping between the small, individual skirmishes, the two boys headed towards the stables. Tobin almost crashed into a stumbling guard. The young woman cursed at him before running into the fray.

Out of nowhere two more bandits ran out of a small house. They were carrying bags of loot. They were met with two guards, sparring them with lances.

"Let's help them out." Alm said. Without waiting for a response, he charged towards the nearest invader.

"Alm?" Tobin coughed. "Dammit!" He reluctantly followed his friend's detour.

The bandit swung a club at the village guard. The other man stepped backwards and stabbed straight with his lance.

His counterattack missed wide.

Alm stopped and waited for an opening. His eyes tracked every one of the bandit's moves. When the foe brandished his weapon again, the green-haired boy finally jumped forth. He plunged his sword into the hairy man's back.

The bandit screeched painfully and turned around. Alm pulled out his weapon, stepping back. Tobin moved in for a follow-up attack.

He jumped and slashed sideways. The sword caught part of the bandit's armor and broke off in the middle. Tobin looked at his weapon in shock. "What?"

"Tobin, move!"

The bandit raised his axe to swing downwards. Tobin braced for impact.

However the attack never came.

He opened his eyes. Protruding from the bandit's chest was an iron lance. The village guard had landed a blow throughout the confusion. The bandit let out a painful yelp before falling to the ground.

Alm jumped back in shock. "Oh Gods. Did we just… kill someone?"

Tobin swallowed uncomfortably. "Yeah. He's dead." He threw his broken sword onto the ground in front of them.

The guard gave Alm a nod of acknowledgement, then darted off to his patrol. Tobin gave a sigh of relief. He then felt a sharp agony on his back shoulder.

He yelled in pain and turned. A bandit with a bow was reaching for his quiver.

"Archer!" Alm shouted. "Run!"

They dashed into another street of houses, narrowly dodging a fast arrow. They leaned against a small townhouse, looking both ways.

Despite his fatigue, Tobin reached for the arrow and pulled it out of himself.

"Aughh…!"

He threw the bloodied stick in front of him.

He then collapsed against the exterior of the house. Alm helped him into a sitting position against the wall, and put his hand over the open wound.

"I think I'm at my limit, Alm." Tobin coughed. "Please clear this up to my father…"

"That's not happening." Alm shook his head. "You're going to make it out alive!"

"How? All the houses are locked, and even the bandits are breaking into some of 'em. There's nowhere to run to…"

The green-haired boy stood up and looked down both parts of the street. The archer had given up pursuing them.

"My head's spinning again." Tobin said.

A part of him felt like going to sleep. It felt difficult even keeping an eye open.

"Those sons of…" Alm spat. "Alright. We'll stay hidden here then. I'll guard you 'til the battle is over."

Tobin could only nod at the order. His friend stood guard beside him.

The ambient cries of the fighters and villagers echoed around them. As bandits broke into a house's windows, a young girl's scream pierced the air.

 _Gods! Why am I so goddamn_ useless? He thought. _What was the point of my training…_

Tobin put a hand over his eyes, wanting the nightmare to end.

 **[…]**

"Enemy's on the run! Push 'em out!"

One of the guards shouted. Tobin lifted his heads. The village guard somehow forced the invaders to back off. Alm brandished his sword and looked around. He was ready to catch any ruffians on the run.

"We won?" Tobin said. "We won!"

Alm looked down an intersection. "They're retreating Tobin! We're going to live!"

Tobin scratched his short brown hair in relief. For a second, he thought the village would actually fall to the strangers. His friend extended an open arm, helping pull Tobin up. He rubbed the blood on his tunic and sheathed his sword.

In an uncharacteristic moment, out of joy from the fact they were still alive, the boys exchanged a quick hug.

The boys returned to the village square, searching for their friends. There were bodies everywhere – at least ten of the bandits laid still on the ground. The smell of blood was sickening.

"What a mess." Tobin said. "Alm. Why don't you check on my father? He'll beat my ass if he sees me in this state."

"You sure about that, Tobin?"

"Yeah… I'll go search for Gray and the others."

"Right, they're still out there! Good luck."

Alm ran down a familiar road to his house. The remaining guards were walking along the stained grass, kicking the corpses to see if there were any survivors. Tobin found a large dirt road and walked slowly towards it.

"Gray!" He shouted. "Faye! Kliff!"

"Hey! Tobin, over here!"

He heard Gray's voice and ran towards it. His friend was behind the old barn, where they used to train. He was standing beside a familiar body. Tobin gasped.

"Kliff?" He put a hand over his mouth. "What happened to him?"

"Don't worry. He's only knocked out." Gray sighed. "His bleeding stopped a long time ago. We need to call over a nurse immediately."

Tobin nodded slowly. "And Faye?"

Gray folded his arms and stared into his eyes. A deep sadness weighed heavily in his gaze. The breeze picked up, blowing hair into Tobin's eyes.

 _Oh no… Don't tell me she-_

"Faye ran home, mate." Gray said at last. "The battle was too much for her. Her parents let her back into the house."

Tobin fumed at the answer. The way his friend put it, he thought Faye was kidnapped or worse. Gray continued tending to Kliff's injuries. Their moment of silence was interrupted by a guard who stumbled across them.

"You kids." He spat. "What the hell happened here? I thought all the villagers were supposed to stay inside."

"Our friend is hurt." Gray answered. "Can you summon help for him?"

The guard blinked. "I'll call over a nurse. You should go home. Now."

"Thanks, sir…"

The boys let the village guard take over. Gray said a short goodbye to his friend, and then ran towards his own home.

Tobin let out a sigh of relief. At least all of his friends were still alive. He walked away to find Alm.

 _Wait, my parents! Gods I hope they're okay._

His walk slowly turned into a jog, and the jog quickly turned into a sprint.

He turned a corner down the stable, and then a left at the old well. Fortunately he saw Alm. The green-haired boy standing still, entranced by some sight.

"Alm! Good news!" Tobin exclaimed happily. "We're all okay! Well, Kliff's going to see the nurse, but-"

He stopped running. A foul smell overtook his sense.

Alm was staring at Old Mycen's house, or what was left it. The makeshift workshop crackled under a huge fire. Tobin put his arm over his mouth, and coughed violently at the unnatural odor. The structure had recently collapsed into itself.

Embers dotted the inside, igniting the lumber supplies. A black cloud rose from the middle of the structure, where the living room used to be. Scraps of red blanket were scattered by the wind. They were reduced to red pieces of cloth evaporating into the smoke. Tears welled up in Alm's eyes.

"My Gods…" Tobin breathed.

* * *

The residents of Ram were finally allowed to leave their homes. The guards worked overtime to clear the public places of bodies and weapons.

Damage was extensive. Almost twenty of the village guards were dead – mostly recruits. Five buildings, including Old Mycen's house, were lost to fire. Rumors suggested a bandit tried torching the homes as a distraction. Another sixteen innocent villagers were killed or injured. They homes were found completely raided.

At the very least, the invaders also took heavy losses. They would likely think twice before launching another raid.

It was a miracle none of Tobin's parents or siblings were hurt. They all hid in their own house rather than the makeshift workshop. Gray's and Kliff's family were fine too. The parents were upset at their sons for trying to defend the village.

Tobin had not heard anything from Faye's family. They were furious at Gray's reckless decision, and refused to let the girl anywhere near her friends. Ram Village, the once bustling settlement of the south, felt much emptier than before.

The four boys met again at the old barn. Kliff had a sling over his arm. The nurse said he had broken it during the battle. They were used to hearing children play outside next to the barn, and the birds chirping outside.

Gray shook his head. "We trained hard every evening, what went wrong?"

"It's my fault." Tobin admitted. "I was wounded and Alm had to look after me. We would have stood a chance, if he returned to the battle."

His friend shook his head.

"Nope. Even I was outmatched. Those pigs broke my old sword."

They briefly shared their experiences. Tobin and Kliff ended up repelling a few enemies, but never actually struck any down. Alm defeated a grand total of one bandit. Gray was lucky enough to score two.

"Then we were complete deadweight." Gray lamented. "In the end, we caused more trouble for the village guard than we helped."

"What did you expect?" Kliff cursed. "Five trainees against an army of grown ruffians, with possibly months of pillaging under their belt?"

Alm suddenly stood up.

"No." He said. "This was none of our faults. Sir Mycen is to blame for all of this. If he was still here, we could have easily beaten back those invaders!"

Tobin raised an eyebrow. Alm had lost the most out of everyone. The cartwright tried his best to find a bed for the foster child, but there was no space left.

"If he stayed and trained us, we would have beaten them tenfold!" Alm rambled on. "Except he… he abandoned us. He could have fought with us but he didn't. That's why so many people died today."

The boy balled his right hand into a fist of vitriol.

None of the others dared to reply. It was tempting to find someone else to shove the blame towards. Their village was only beginning to rebuild itself. Faye was grounded indefinitely. _There was no point getting angry anymore_ , Tobin thought.

"Well, what do we do now?" Kliff asked.

Gray inspected his broken arm. "How 'bout we just call it a day?"

"Good idea."

Kliff and Tobin gave their support and packed their things. Nighttime was quickly approaching. The boys agreed to put training on hold, until everyone recovered, and went their separate ways. Alm slowly followed Tobin towards his home.

"What do I do now?" The boy asked. "My house burned down, and yours is already stuffed with all your siblings."

Tobin stopped in his tracks. "You're right. How about you sleep in my bed tonight? I'll tie up a hammock outside."

"Really?"

"Really. Don't worry about it."

Alm graciously accepted the offer and the two went home. The boys briefly searched Old Mycen's home, trying to salvage as much as they could. Even the old blacksmithing equipment was burnt to a crisp. They gave up almost immediately.

As Tobin left his friend to his small room, he swore he heard Alm sob himself into the night.

 **[…]**

"Huzzah! Make way for the guardians of Zofia!"

Sleeping outside, Tobin was the first to be woken up by the village guard. The wary citizens left their homes and gathered towards the village square. The boy ran inside to drag out his family. Alm came out last, groggily wiping his eyes.

"What's going on?" He said, half-asleep. "We're not being attacked again, are we..." Alm had dark circles underneath his eyes.

"Looks like we have more visitors."

After calling over Tobin's parents, the boys joined the crowd. The smell of burnt wood that peppered the air was still strong. Gray and Kliff were already at the front. Alm and Tobin squeezed through several bodies to reunite with them.

"Not more bandits, right?" Alm asked hopefully.

"Big fat nope." Gray replied. "They say they're the Zofian Royal Army. Must be pretty important for them to be here."

"Quiet." Kliff ordered. "They're about to speak. Gosh, it still smells like a wildfire…"

An army of veteran men and women was in the middle of the square. The residents of Ram Village worked hard yesterday – there was no evidence a battle occurred at all. A young man, looking slightly more mature than Gray, began he speak.

"Humble residents of Ram Village!" His voice boomed. "My name is Sir Lukas, one of the commanders of the Deliverance! I'm here to deliver a message."

"Hey, that glossy red armor." Alm whispered. "Isn't he one of the Knights of Zofia? The king's knights?"

"A knight – can you believe it?" Tobin whispered with excitement. "What's he doing in our village? You'd have to practically ride off the map to find this place!"

Memories of Slayde and his henchmen were long gone. It had been years since the men and women serving King Lima set foot in Ram Village. To the villagers, their arrival was a sight for sore eyes.

"I apologize for heralding dark news, but King Lima the Fourth, is dead." The knight continued. "He met his end some days ago at the hands of Chancellor Desaix."

A chilling silence hit the air. Nobody in particular liked the king. It was said every day the frail man would rather drink wine and bed his concubines than lead a kingdom. His health has declined steadily over the ages.

But nobody expected Desaix to land the final blow. Little was known about the man, other than the fact he was a shady royal.

"Good!" A young woman shouted. "That old useless liege had it coming!"

"Please let me finish." Lukas shook his head. "It appears Desaix has sold Zofia to the Rigelian Empire along with his soul. Upon Lima's death, the chancellor and the Rigelian army seized the castle."

The young woman remained indignant. The crowd dissolved into chatter and individual conversation. Lukas and the other royal soldiers waited patiently for everybody to calm down.

"Well, what do you think?" Gray whispered. "I guess Desaix is ruler now? The country should be better with him around."

"I don't think so." Kliff said. "Think about it. Why would Sir Lukas bring a small army to Ram Village? Something must be seriously wrong."

"What about the heir?" Tobin questioned.

"Hold on. The knight's speaking again."

Gray raised a hand to get the others to shut up.

"Our very own Sir Clive, will not stand for such injustices." The knight announced. "Thus, he formed an army to free us from Rigel, and named it the Deliverance. We are here to seek volunteers, to help liberate our lands."

 _The Deliverance... What would they be delivering?_

"Tch." A villager said. "The royals of Zofia have never done anything for its citizens!"

"Yeah. Chancellor Desaix can't be worse than our last king! You just want to replace him so you can keep your fancy lands and title!" Another said.

The residents of Ram Village were not stupid. King Lima's campaign to stop rebellions and barbarians from springing up all over Zofia, was an utter failure. The country was much more dangerous than when he first took the throne.

"That is not true." Lukas reassured. "The Knights of Zofia have always kept the citizenry safe. We are very much aware Our Majesty's interests were misplaced but-"

"Load of crap." A raspy old man interrupted. "If that was true, you would've protected us against those intruders yesterday!"

"Excuse me?" Lukas was taken aback.

The friends huddled together and debated whether the knight was telling the truth about the King and Desaix. Lukas was not aware of the bandit raid yesterday, so his arrival came as extremely awkward to everyone.

"He's got a point." Tobin said. "Guess they don't care for us after all."

"No, they wouldn't have known." Gray said, picking at his arm sling. "That Lukas guy was just using rhetorical garbage. Looks like it backfired."

"Okay, I don't care if he's a good speaker or not. Is the Deliverance really a force for good? Or do they just want to replace Desaix with _another_ corrupt leader?" Tobin posited.

Gray stroked his chin. "Well, he's hiked a long way to recruit a bunch of villagers." He said. "Zofia must be in a very dicey situation for them to come here, of all places."

On the other side of the village square, Lukas was having no luck breaking through to the villagers. The oldest citizens, the ones most wronged by the former King Lima, led the audience boos towards the Deliverance.

"We send our condolences for this village's tragedy." Lukas said solemnly. "I can only say your troubles would be a lot worse, if Desaix ends up leading our country."

"Yeah… Sure…"

The audience was emotionally unmoved. Already adults were leaving the village square in protest of Lukas's presence. Tobin's father gave him a heads up that he was returning back home. The boy waved goodbye to his mother and siblings.

"Very well." The knight lowered his head. "I will accept your refusal to support us. I only have one further request: I wish to know where Sir Mycen is. He was a great general of Zofia, and we-"

Alm, who was quiet the whole time, finally spoke. "He's long gone now."

"What?" Lukas looked visibly troubled. "I was told this isolated village was his last place of residence."

"Huh. Not even his old house is here anymore." The green-haired boy replied. "Trust me. I lived with him years ago…"

The rest of the villagers dispersed from the square, each one either minding their own business or discussing their suspicions behind the knights' backs. Lukas narrowed his eyes, spotting something special about Alm.

"Very well." He said. "We apologize for disturbing you. Please, have a good day."

And with that, Lukas called the rest of his forces to leave the village. Gray waved goodbye, but nobody paid attention. Soon they were the only ones left.

"What a waste of time." Kliff hissed. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Gray sniffed. "See you guys near the old barn, as usual!"

The boys said their goodbyes and returned home. Alm and Tobin ran back to their house for a meagre breakfast of beans and mashed potato.

 _Something tells me that's not the last time we'll be seeing those guys around here…_

* * *

"What are you still doing around here?" The boy said.

Tobin never expected himself to be right. He and the boys had finished their shifts and were standing next to the barn. Sir Lukas had mysteriously found them. The knight stood beside Alm and Gray. They were discussing something important.

"Ah, hello there." Lukas said. "I was just explaining to your friends more about the Deliverance."

"That's our friend Tobin." Gray said. "He's an interesting fellow."

 _Interesting? Screw you._

Tobin took a closer look at Sir Lukas. He carried a long halberd to his side, capable of hitting targets several feet away from him. His red armor looked heavy, but from the way he moved earlier, seemed lightweight. A true knight in service.

"Anyways, Tobin. I've decided to join Lukas's army." Alm said. "I want to make a name for myself. Fighting for the Delivance is my best chance."

His friend tilted his head. "You better have a good reason why. We barely survived the last scrap, and you want to join the fray again?"

"He's not alone. I'm joining too." Gray said. "I'd rather take the fight to Rigel. Better than letting them come and kill or enslave us."

 _Of course_ , Tobin thought. Joining the military was always one of Gray's dream job. He has been dead set on it since training. Kliff on the other hand was-

"Huh?" He paused, perplexed. "Kliff! Your arm sling is gone!"

"Yeah." He murmured. "Lukas helped heal it. You see, there is this amazing concoction called a 'vulnerary'. The knights lent one to me."

"Alright, I know what's going on here." Tobin folded his arms. "You're joining the Deliverance as well, eh? What happened to studying for the academy?"

"I just want to learn new things and travel the world." The boy with the light beige complexion explained. "Joining the Deliverance, helps me accomplish that."

Tobin could not believe it.

Kliff joined, probably because Lukas bribed him with medicine and the promise of knowledge.

Gray joined because he was already a fiery nutcase who wanted to fight the world. Nothing unusual with that.

"And I suppose you all are going to pressure me to fight a war." Tobin accused. "I joined our training sessions, because it was the first time I saw Alm happy in a _long_ time. But this? But this? This is going way too far."

"I am going no matter what." Alm said. "Look at me. Sir Mycen abandoned us a long time ago. My house burnt down. The only thing I have left are the clothes on my back and a sword I took from an unlucky soul. I lost everything back there, Tobin. The Deliverance can provide me with a new purpose in life."

"Our parents can take care of you! They need more help in the family business."

"I don't want to be taken care of. I want to become stronger."

"Ah, I see." Lukas interrupted. "Alm has a hero's blood within him, as well as a hero's fire. For the rest of you, there is a lot I can teach you in battle. You'll be given a proper wage too, of course."

His words pricked Tobin's ears.

"Wait. You mean we get paid?" He stammered. "As in, actual money?"

"Of course. Our soldiers sacrifice much. We would be remiss not to offer them compensation."

The boy thought long and hard. With the workshop destroyed, his father put his entire business on hold. Having extra hands would not help very much.

 _Having a son working in the military, and sending money back home however…_

"Ma and Pa struggle to make ends meet." He grumbled. "I guess if there's a way to help them out…"

Many questions peppered his mind. What did Lukas say to coerce everyone to join? Was he telling the truth about Desaix and Rigel? Would his parents approve of going to war? And what would happen to poor Faye, who still couldn't talk to her friends?

Tobin closed his eyes. He hated to admit peer pressure was winning again.

"What do you say, friend?" Alm asked, extending a hand.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Expect chapters to be no more than 5k words long. We'll be jumping between people's perspectives, but will mostly be focusing on Alm and Celica. I cannot wait for next chapter!**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


	5. Act 1-3: Camp Votum

**Act 1 Chapter 3  
Camp Votum (Alm)**

It was next morning.

Alm and Lukas were stood next to the village gates. The village guard were wary of their suspicious guests. So wary in fact, that they monitored them the entire morning. The rest of Lukas's forces were not allowed within a hundred feet of Ram Village. Thus, there they stood, waiting for the three boys to return. Alm had suggested they gain permission from their parents, before leaving the settlement.

The two were in the middle of a staunch argument.

"We're not done here." Lukas said. "The way we approached Tobin yesterday, you made it seem like _I_ was the one who convinced Kliff and Gray to join."

"So what if it was me?" Alm replied. "You wanted them to join, right?"

"Well, I'm still curious. How _did_ you get them to enlist so quickly?"

Alm coughed. He had approached his friends separately, after the Deliverance left. It took some effort, but the boy eventually said the right things to convince them. Meeting Lukas again outside the village was just a lucky coincidence.

He looked down at the ground. "Well, Gray didn't need much to motivate him. I kinda realized he always wanted this type of adventure."

"Alright, what about the boy named Kliff then?" Lukas narrowed his eyes. "Our healer mended his arm, but that's barely enough reason to abandon life at home."

"I suggested the possibility that Desaix will destroy the Royal Academy - the very institution he wanted to enroll in."

"What? I never mentioned such a thing to the village."

Alm shrugged. "It was an educated guess."

He had told Kliff about his predictions, right after his arm was healed. His timid friend broke out into a sweat. Reading books since the age of five, Kliff would not let everything he studied for go to waste. Alm quickly explained his situation.

"So you willingly urged him to enlist, based on your hypotheticals?" The knight frowned. "Sounds to me like coercion."

"I wouldn't call it coercion." Alm retorted, starting to get flustered. "Just a consideration. Also, you're hardly one to talk. Your 'army' is exploiting Tobin's money woes for your benefit."

"I was merely stating the perks of joining the Deliverance."

"Fine."

"And what do you, Alm, make of Tobin risking his life?" The knight questioned.

"I always go to him last, since he goes with the flow. But don't worry. He's like a brother to me."

Lukas shook his head. "You should be careful in leading your friends. War is not a simple game or sport."

"I know what I'm getting everyone into. That's why I'll make sure none of my friends die. Their lives will be my responsibility!"

"I can only wish your strength grows as powerful as your conviction."

Lukas said with a frown as if he has heard many people say the exact same words. Before they could continue their conversation, the two saw three villagers run toward them. Tobin lagged behind them – a disenchanted look clouded his face.

"Yo Alm!" Gray waved his arm happily. "Pops gave me the go-ahead! He said he'll be proud to see his son serve his country!"

"My parents also agreed." Kliff said. "I told them I was going to Zofia Castle. Though, I don't think it's the way they expected…"

"Nice! Let's train hard and kick Desaix's sorry ass!" Alm smiled.

All eyes turned to Tobin, who licked his lower lip. Having a once-bustling family business, Alm predicted his parents were the hardest to appease.

"Uh, I had an argument with Pa." he murmured. "He said that Alm was a bad influence on me, pulling me to do this and fight that..."

"And…?" Gray said impatiently.

The cartwright's response came as a complete surprise to Alm. The boy was never the perfect worker, but he never thought the man detested him.

"He said I had to choose between him, and Alm. And, uh, I might have been temporarily banished from the family?"

Alm exclaimed, "You chose the Deliverance over your own father?"

 _Oh great. Now I feel bad for dragging him so far._ He cringed. _I'm happy he's coming, but I hope he's thought this through..._

"Yeah." Tobin sighed. "You're joining the fight against Desaix, whether I go or not. Might as well be useful, and help my friends, uh, not die."

"You don't sound very sure of yourself." Lukas said. "The Deliverance may need fresh recruits, but we're not willing to break up families for it."

"Don't worry about me." Tobin's voice was firmer. "Pa's gonna eat his words when his amazing son comes back – a hero with mountains of war spoils!"

The knight smiled. "Of course."

The rest of the village was in no mood to talk with the Deliverance. To them, Lukas's forces were just desperate noblepersons trying to keep their fancy titles. Nobody bid them farewell, as the five parted from the gates.

"Hold on." Alm stopped in his tracks. "We're forgetting someone."

"We tried, Alm." Gray exasperated. "We knocked on Faye's door but her parents won't let us see her. They think we're just a bunch of troublemakers."

"Did we at least pass on the message that we're leaving?"

"Yeah." Kliff nodded. "Her father told us to 'screw a horse' or something."

Tobin blinked. "I guess… we'll be seeing her later."

Alm nodded. Faye was not the strongest fighter, but he felt guilty for leaving her behind. He turned back to look upon Ram Village - the place where he harbored all of his previous memories. Of his childhood. Of his lonely, dejected childhood.

"Then I suppose we should be on our way." Lukas stated.

 _Heh. I'm not going to miss this place at all._

"Lead the way." Alm muttered.

 **[…]**

The rest of the knights were visibly unimpressed as they the motley ensemble. Lukas's escort was much smaller than yesterday's. They numbered at most in the few dozens. They all bore the same reddish armor, though they all carried a different assortment of weapons – swords, lances, halberds. It was a soldier's or merchant's jackpot, to say the least.

Gray's eyes shone. "When can we get one of those?"

"An entire village, and all that enlisted are these four?" A man with a luscious Balbo beard and in heavy armor scoffed. His hair was short with brown hair, similar to Lukas's.

 _Probably another captain?_ Alm theorized.

"That couldn't be helped." Lukas explained. "They were recently attacked. It would make sense most of the locals would rather stay behind."

The man walked forward and inspected the new batch. Alm tensed up as he passed by. Gray and Tobin were equally nervous, but they managed to stay perfectly still. Kliff simply looked away, pretending he did not exist.

"Bah." The man spat at last. "They won't last two months in this bloody war."

* * *

Lukas and his escort accompanied the boys to their temporary settlement. A mix of tents and abandoned cottages greeted them in the forest.

They called it Camp Votum – and it was massive.

Camp Votum was only meant to stand for a month – giving time for the knights to find volunteers from the nearby villages. The boys were told that the Deliverance's main base of operation was far further northwards.

Alm slumped in exhaustion. He had been working all afternoon after reaching Camp Votum. _What an ugly name for a camp_ , he thought to himself. Lukas, the captain of the regiment, was busy planning with the senior soldiers, in the "War Tent".

"What the hell." The indignant boy cursed. "I thought they wanted us to fight for 'em, not assign us to kitchen duty."

"We've just been recruited." Tobin said. "It makes sense they want us to do the menial tasks first."

"Tch. This makes cart-making almost seem tolerable. Looks like Faye's parents were right to keep her at home."

The two put away their trays of cleaned dishes and straightened their backs. A few of the Deliverance whispered begrudging insults behind their backs. Most of them had never interacted with people who hail from so-called "villages".

"Hey!" Kliff called from afar. "We're done all our work!"

He and Gray were walking towards them after emerging from the forest. The boys' shoes were already crusted with mud.

"Kliff?" Tobin yawned. "I thought you were taking out the trash."

"I just did?" The boy tilted his head.

"Then why did you bring Gray back?"

"Did I hear that right?" Gray grinned. "Did Tobin come up with a proper insult for once?" The men and women of the Deliverance were already signing off for the night. Sounds of clanking armor and boots filled the camp.

A man in with polished red chainmail bumped into Kliff, almost knocking him over.

"Hey. Watch where you're going, vagrant." He grunted.

"S-sorry." Kliff replied, shrinking away.

The man shook his head. "Lousy peasants need to watch where they stick their noses."

"Excuse me?"

Alm stood up to the man, who at least half a foot taller. The boy had never heard anything as rude in Ram Village. From what Lukas said, he was also expecting the Deliverance to treat others more respectfully.

The knight stared back in amusement. "Ears don't work, sonny?"

"We spent our entire evening cleaning after you slops this evening, and that's the gratitude you show?" Alm growled.

"Alm, it's okay." Kliff tried to reason. "I mean, it's probab-"

"No it's not." He retorted. "We left our families to fight for these pompous noblemen. We deserve to be treated better than this."

"You think you have a right to address the Knights of Zofia in that manner?" The man retorted. "I fail to understand what Sir Lukas saw in you lubberworts."

Tobin slid his thumb over his throat, signaling Alm to end the conversation. Alm refused after being called _lubber-whatever_ by the proud gentleman. Before the situation could escalate further, another soldier joined in the conversation.

"What's going on here?" He grunted.

It was the bearded captain from before.

"Our new hands are getting a bit rowdy." The other knight replied.

"First day in the Deliverance, and already causing trouble?" The captain frowned.

"But sir-"

"You better watch yourselves, lest you get assigned even hard labor tomorrow."

"…Yes sir." Alm took the warning reluctantly.

He slowly began to realize, with dread, that most of the Deliverance did not act as noble as their title suggested. Lukas was most courteous in the whole army, and he was only an exception. The two knights returned to their large, blue tents.

"Man the Deliverance is full of entitled snobs…" Gray muttered. "The only thing I'll be delivering to them is my foot up their asses."

"I'd tone down if I were you." Kliff replied. "They might act entitled, but at least they can fight bandits. Better than us at least."

Excitement returned to Alm's sullen face. "Right! Military training starts soon!"

 _No more spying on the night guard and learning from scratch!_

"Did you see all the other people from the other villages?" Tobin said. "I counted. Looks like a hundred knights, and about the same number of recruits."

A hundred - an entire regiment's worth of soldiers, running around in some of the southernmost districts of Zofia. The boys knew that was nothing compared to the size of the entire royal army. Kliff shivered in uncertainty.

"If they're that desperate to come all the way here, are they losing the war?" He questioned. "I hope we didn't join a side on the verge of defeat…"

 **[…]**

"Ach!"

Alm shouted as he landed awkwardly. His feet were sore from running all morning. His sparring opponent, the captain from yesterday, slowly walked towards him.

"Pathetic." The knight spat. "Get up and fight!"

"Yes sir!"

He brandished his new iron sword. When he first received his weapon in the afternoon, the boy was giddy with excitement. The hardness and luster reminded him of silver, and its hilt was comforting to hold.

"Hrah!" He shouted, dashing forward.

The captain backed up, purposefully letting Alm take control of the space.

The boy saw his opportunity and stabbed forward. He kept his posture low to maintain a careful balance.

The captain easily dodged.

Alm hopped back and followed up with a quick slash.

The captain dodged out of the way. He hit Alm's leg with the broad side of his leg, causing him to slump backwards.

"Too slow!"

H finished with a final hit to Alm's torso, knocking him to the ground.

Alm got on his knees and tried to pull himself up.

Before he could, his training partner kicked him in the abs.

The boy collapsed, knocked out of breath. "Gah! What the hell was that for?"

"Get back up!" The captain spat. "If I were Desaix your head would be rolling on the ground already!"

Alm took a look around. Tobin and friends were not fairing much better – they were expertly beaten down time and time again by the superior Knights of Zofia. Sir Lukas was arguing with some of the knights, trying to ease the training.

"What's the point of this? We're not getting any better if you're just beating us up!"

"Look here, boy." The bearded captain stared at Alm with disgust. "Your skills are laughable at best, and you just volunteered to fight your way through Hell. I'm just the doorman. I'm going to save your life, either by convincing you to turn back, or by making you powerful enough to brave the flames alone."

"Doorman? More like one of the elder demons." Alm sputtered, picking himself up. "I'm not going to be stuck in hell."

 _Not while he's alive to gloat at me, anyways._

"Excellent - the more entertaining route. Swords out now. We'll be here for a while."

* * *

Alm's lower body was covered in bruises at the end of training. His friends were too, thought Gray came out by far the cleanest. The trio returned their swords to the stockpile – Kliff was being held back for extra training.

"Everything's sore." Tobin complained. "They wouldn't give us medical supplies because we're running low on those. Or, maybe they don't want to waste it on the non-noble folks."

"I only hope Kliff doesn't break a bone again." Gray said. "How was your session with Captain Beardy, Alm? Lukas's colleague giving you a hard time?"

"Beardy? Oh it wasn't as bad as I thought. I learned quite a bit about movement and keeping safe distances."

For the last half-hour of the evening, the captain finally gave some helpful advice. The Knights of Zofia were enjoying some mead on their side of Camp Votum. The recruits shared their day's anguish, but were too exhausted for anything else.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're warming up to them." Tobin exasperated. "It's suspicious how the only other captain in this army, wanted to train you."

"I'm not." Alm said. "Rest assured I still hate them."

"I swear we're here just for their entertainment." Gray folded his arms. "Kliff's being trained by the guy who bumped into him yesterday."

Alm winced as he touched his shin. He and his friends walked up to the food tent to find their share of dinner. The Knights of Zofia – to their credit – were good hunters. Boar meat was rarely found anywhere near Ram Village.

Alm sighed. "Seriously? Talk about bad luck. I heard Kliff's getting beat up bad. Poor guy doesn't deserve that sort of punishment."

"You were right Alm. We should have stood up to that knight." Tobin said. "Sorry we didn't have your back."

"Don't worry about it."

"I mean, it's not too late to teach him a lesson." Gray said.

Alm raised his head from his bowl. "What do you mean?"

Gray looked around briefly. None of the other young men and women were paying attention to the three boys. With a finger over his lips, his eyes sparkled mischievously. Alm and Gray leaned in to hear his brilliant idea.

 **[…]**

It was nighttime. Some distance from Camp Votum was a wide ditch, deemed a temporary latrine. The boys were all sitting on a tree, watching the premises. A few torches lit the ground for any passing soldiers to navigate themselves.

"This is a dirty job." Tobin complained. "As expected of Sir Gray. This place smells worse than the cow pen back home."

Gray whispered, "If you don't shut up, you're next." He was holding a thin black sack in his hand – a "gift" from the army stockpile.

"Shush!"

"Raise yer head- Zofia my homeland, strong and freeee!"

Kliff's unruly trainer appeared from the direction of Camp Votum. He was humming incoherently an odd tune, walking towards the latrine. The boys huddled together and watched from afar. The knight was definitely drunk.

"Ah?"

As he staggered towards the ditch, he looked around in confusion. Just before he was within several yards of the artificial hole, his foot tripped over something. The thin rope that the boys set up was completely unnoticed.

"Oof!" He slurred his voice, landing on his chest. "Who purt tha there…"

"Go!" Gray whispered.

The boys leapt down from the tree and surrounded the drunk knight. Gray moved in quickly, covering his head with the sack. Through muffled groans, Alm secured the man's hands. Tobin tied up his arms with another piece of rope.

"Mmf! Mmmf!"

"Let's give this bully what he deserves." Gray whispered.

The boys backed up from the trainer, pulled down his pants, and stared kicking his sorry behind. Alm's legs were still sore, so he only kicked lightly. Tobin was visibly repulsed but eventually joined in. It was his duty to pick up the workload from his dear adoptive brother.

"Mmmmm!"

Gray decided to take it one step further, and perhaps one step too far by picking up a torch from the ground. He held it over the knight's exposed rear. The man squirmed in a panic under the intense heat. Alm told him to hold off.

The boy put out the torch and threw it onto the ground.

"Someone else will be here soon." Tobin reminded.

"Grrmmm! Hmmah!"

His friends were unhappy but agreed. Gray lifted the knight's left while Tobin and Alm took the other side. With a great heave, they dragged the struggling man towards the latrine. Gray took the sack off and pointed towards the ditch.

With all the strength in their bodies, the three tossed their victim into the latrine. He landed face-first waste pile.

"Run!" Tobin hissed.

Alm and the others ran as if their lives depended on it. With laughter they had not experienced in months, the trio dashed back towards Camp Votum. The green-haired boy had trouble sleeping that day.

 **[…]**

Breakfast was earlier than usual. The recruits shuffled their ways out of bed and assembled in the middle of the settlement. The more experienced Knights of Zofia were not quite as smug as before. An odd smell filled the air.

Kliff's trainer, unsurprisingly, had a wide radius of emptiness around him.

"You there, knight!" Beardy shouted. "What happened to you? You smell like the rotting corpse of a mangled pig!"

"Uh, sir, I-" The man stuttered.

"Enough! Get yourself cleaned before you offend Sir Lukas with your stench!"

The recruits slowly realized what happened to the knight and tried to stifle their delight. If Alm were to reveal his friends as the culprits, they might have even been called "heroes". It was tempting, but restraint won in the end.

"What happened to him?" Kliff whimpered.

"What he bloody deserved." Gray winked.

From the corner of his eye, Alm saw that even Beardy was slightly amused. And for the rest of the day, Kliff was assigned to another knight for training. Within a single day and change of attitude, he improved his form considerably.

Unfortunately, Gray's loose mouth spread their prank far and wide among the fighters of lesser status. The recruits formed a bond and agreed not to tell any of the knights. Suddenly, the boys from Ram Village became minor deities in their eyes. That night they were surrounded by recruits with admiration in their eyes.

"I didn't believe you pulled it off." Kliff admitted. "I'm impressed to say the least."

"My only regret is not letting you get a few kicks in." Gray said coolly.

He was watching the few females in the crowd, seeing if any of them were particularly impressed by what they saw.

"Keep it down. The nobles are coming!" A young woman said.

When the Knights of Zofia returned, they were puzzled at how fast their trainees scattered. Alm eavesdropped in on their conversation – and even they were slightly happy Kliff's trainer fell into the latrine.

 _I take back what I said. Not all of the Deliverance are pricks._

With a smile he retreated to his bed. Nearly halfway through his first week in the war, and Alm had already had more fun than an entire year in his hometown. In his mind, finding Mycen again was the lowest priority.

* * *

Three more weeks passed. Time edged closer to when Camp Votum would pack up and return to the main force. All of the surrounding villages have already been visited by Lukas and his soldiers. They did not have much luck.

Alm and the other recruits improved much from their training. Even Kliff was more confident with his sword. Ever since that night, his trainer seemed to have learned his lesson, and became infinitely more helpful than before.

His pride was far too much to admit a prank even happened.

A charge from the left.

A parry.

A hop to the left.

Backing up.

Stab.

A miss.

"Crud!"

Stab.

Another miss.

Back up.

Dodge.

And slash.

Alm had finally landed a hit on Beardy. The man retreated in surprise and conceded defeat. The green-haired boy panted loudly. He could feel adrenaline flow through his body. His legs were twitching with euphoric victory.

"Good hit." Beardy said. "I dare say you might give one of Desaix's cronies some trouble. Just don't get bloody cocky."

"Right, right." Alm said with a smile. "I only have one question."

"What is it? Striking? Blocking?"

"A personal one, Sir." The boy replied. "What's your name? Sir Lukas shared his. You just told the other recruits to call you 'Captain', but we barely know anything about your past as a knight! Did you do something shameful?"

Alm decided not to mention the nickname he and his own friends gave to the captain. The powerful man stroked his chin and looked at the clouds above. It was yet another dry day. Even the plants around Camp Votum were beginning to wilt.

"Heh. You want to know my name? You're going to have to earn that right." Beardy said. "Beat me another time today, and I'll tell you."

"Right! Get ready, Captain!"

 **[…]**

Needless to say, Alm did not find out what Beardy's real name was.

But fortunately, "Graduation" had arrived two days later. One fortnight of training was barely enough to train a royal soldier, but it was as compact as possible. The regiment of recruits stood proudly outside of Camp Votum.

Sir Lukas had emerged from the War Tent. For the last two weeks, he worked diligently on communicating with the main base, and travelling to all sorts of settlements to look for recruits. When he came to speak, the dark circles under his eyes made him appear at least five year later.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Today marks an important milestone in your lifetime." He began. "You have completed your first phase of training, and are ready to face the bandits or traitors that litter the lands around you. You should be proud of what you've learn so far, and bring it with you to our next battle."

"The Zofian Civil War has not developed to our advantage. However, with your newfound strength, we have a chance to correct what is wrong, and remove a tyrant from our throne. Maybe we liberate these lands for the Mother."

The Knights of Zofia began a hearty applause for their leader. Beardy was at the front, gesturing to the recruits to clap as well. Gray was the only one who refused – the noblepersons of the Deliverance still left a bad taste in his mouth.

Lukas continued. "When we reach the main base, you will further your training there. Our archery and cavalry regiments need to be replenished. You'll have plenty of time before we reach there, but please think carefully. Dismissed."

The recruits walked away with their respective trainers. Some were discussing the options excitedly, while others were happy they did not have to suffer with the sight of each other. Regardless of the conversation, everybody was jubilant.

Alm clutched his iron sword. He pushed away any thoughts of wielding a bow or riding a horse. For him, he would never become accustomed to fighting another way. Gray was with some other friends, chatting up a storm to the side.

"Wow, what are you going for guys?" Tobin said.

"…I hope they have something more mystical or intellectual." Kliff complained. "I can fight with a sword, but they aren't made for me."

"Hah. Same." The slim boy scratched his cheeks. "Pa taught me how to use a bow when I was little. It would be nice to pick up one again."

 _Tobin an archer?_ Alm shuddered.

He knew his friend would probably make a fine bowman, but a part of him was also shrouded with dread. He had made a promise to protect his friends in the war. If they were in a different regiment possibly halfway across the continent however, he would never stop worrying about them.

"Hey you two." He said nervously. "Think about this carefully. We might not be in the same fights..."

Kliff nodded. "We'll see."

 **[…]**

"Well." Alm said. "Today is the day."

Tobin nodded. "It sure is, pal."

The two were alone for once.

The end of the month had arrived, and Camp Votum's lifetime was nearing its end. The recruits lined with their trainers, expecting to pack up the settlement. Already the horse-drawn wagons were out, ready to transport everything back home.

"Is there a hold up?" Alm said. "Nobody's packing anything-huh?"

He jolted forward after he felt a hand touch his back.

"Did I startle you, Alm?" Lukas asked. "I can assure I'm not your foe."

"No, Sir." The boy swallowed. "Didn't expect you to come up behind me."

Tobin gave a hasty bow of loyalty.

"No need for such formalities." The knight grinned warmly. "It seems that the villagers from Ram Village have fit in quite well. I wonder how effective you'll be as leaders for the Deliverance."

"Ha, good question."

Alm tried not to remember the bandit attack. The recruits crammed information on weather, chain of command, tactics, and communication in whatever little time they had. The boys barely remembered what happened in those classes.

"My fellow captain said you have grown to be a competent fighter." Lukas continued. "We will see if that is true very soon."

 _Beardy said that?_ _What do_ es he mean _?_

"Our scouts have located a bandit camp within our vicinity. We think they are the same culprits who attacked Ram Village." He continued.

"No way… they're here?" Tobin swallowed.

"Truth be told we knew they were here a long time ago. We wished to train our recruits acceptable abilities before heading out, however."

Alm frowned. Lukas had withheld yet another piece of crucial information from them. The Deliverance could be losing the war front, left, and center, and nobody would have figured out a thing. The prospect of revenge was tempting.

"So we finally leave Camp Votum, after they are eliminated?" Tobin said.

"Correct, provided you survive. Consider it invaluable training for your eventual fighting with Desaix and the Rigelians further North."

The recruits looked at each other. Alm still could not forget the sight of the bandit breaking his sword – of a bandit setting Old Mycen's house of fire… The green-haired boy had grown stronger than ever before, and he saw it in his friends too.

"Good." He said. "We'll smoke those bandits."

"Yes we will." Tobin smirked.

"I am glad to hear that." Lukas said. "Protecting the innocent is what the Deliverance stands for."

 _Right right._ Alm thought to himself. _Who cares about that? I just want to make a name for myself!_

The knight took his leave. Making his way through the crowd, he prepared to announce his plans of attacking the bandit encampment. Alm did not care about how enthusiastically the recruits would react. He only had one other person in his mind.

"Hey Tobin. Ready to make up for what happened to our home, one month ago?"

"Right. Just don't steal all the glory!"

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Yes, the Deliverance is not going to be just 5-10 people, but an entire army! Expect internal conflict to pop up now and then.**

 **Sorry for the long wait! I suppose this is spoiler-esque, but don't worry. I'm not removing Faye from the story. She's just... gone for a while.**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


	6. Act 1-4: Battle of Ram Woods I

**Act 1 Chapter 4  
Battle of Ram Woods I (Gray)**

Gray and the boys were sitting on the side of the table away from Sir Lukas. It was their first time in the large War Tent. A hastily assembled wooden table and a worn-out map of Valentia laid in the middle. The knight wiped his forehead in frustration.

"You're saying you have no information on the bandits who attacked your village?"

"Not really." Alm replied curtly. "Ram Woods is a bigger place than visitors think. It's why our village is considered so remote…"

Gray folded his arms, dumbfounded. He knew the bastards who burned down Old Mycen's house could not be far from Ram Village. It was difficult to believe they set up shop in such a familiar location.

"Okay, let's move onto the attack itself." Lukas sighed. "You said there were dozens of them, but your village fought them off."

Kliff nodded. "They made it past the gates by using ladders to scale the walls."

The knight stared at him.

"Ladders? Are you sure?"

"Yes, ladders."

 _Like that information's going to help us win a battle against them…_ Gray fumed.

"Right, they also had archers. One got me in the shoulder back then." Tobin said.

"Now we're talking." Lukas leaned back. "Sounds like these are not like the ordinary bandits we fought, when King Lima was still alive."

Gray and the others stared back, wondering why Lukas was not too worried. The knight coughed into his arm and wiped the smile off.

"Right, anything else that might be useful?"

"…Nope." Kliff answered for his friends.

The frown was back. Lukas turned his attention to some parchments on the crude table and scribbling down what few notes he could. A small gust of wind blew open the cover of the tent, bringing in fresh air to the cramped area.

"To be blunt, I thought you four would give us more information." Lukas finally said. "I suppose we'll work with what the scout brought back."

Gray grunted. "It's not like you 'Deliverance' folk have been very open either."

"Excuse me?"

"You and that other captain have been keeping everything from the recruits." He continued. "Whether or not we're winning the war. How strong the headquarters is. How strong Desaix's forces are. Why are you hiding this from us?"

Lukas stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"We've only known each other for a few weeks. Forgive me if the chance of you being a spy, or defector, crossed my mind."

"You mean someone has betrayed the Deliverance before?" Tobin asked.

"Yes. I won't say how many, but we must be cautious." The knight said. "Maybe you'd earn the trust of the Knights after beating back those bandits."

"Sheesh." Gray said.

If there was something Gray despised about working with others, it was being talked down upon. The dark-skinned boy curled his right hand into a face. To be thought of as a traitor, despite training so hard, rubbed him the wrong way.

"You should treat your fellow fighters of the Deliverance with a bit more respect." Lukas added. "It was obvious who was responsible for throwing that knight into the latrine. We decided to let that slide, but next time you might not be as fortunate."

The boy put his lips firmly together, but did not speak. It was clear who was in charge. Lukas dismissed the four, continuing to work on the plan by himself. Gray went straight to his tent, muttering under his breath.

 **[…]**

"Bandits are going to be easy work. It's going to be a sweep."

"I can't wait to fight a real foe!"

The next day, the Knights and recruits of the Deliverance marched along the road, in the direction of Gray's birthplace. Lukas led the way with a small group of knights. The nearly hundred-strong troop of recruits followed behind. They talk excitedly among each other, boasting of their speed and blade.

"Heh, remember when we were like that?" Tobin asked sheepishly. "Thinking we'd beat the crap out of those bandits?"

"Yeah." Kliff mumbled. "What a sad day."

"Now we're trained to do so!" Alm replied, "This time will be different. Come on, back me up Gray."

"Uh, sure. We'll win."

Gray was not in the mood to back up anything. It was bad enough he was walking _back_ to the boring place he wanted to escape. When he first joined the Deliverance, he thought he would improve his swordsmanship, become lauded in Zofia as a war hero, and visit towns across the continent.

 _It was the dream – drinking rum with my good friends, flirting with the foxy barmaid at the old town bar…_

"Gray?" Tobin interrupted the daydream. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm still pissed." Gray admitted curtly. "What the hell are we doing, fighting bandits? That's not going to help our war against Desaix. I bet that fart's laughing at us from his damn royal throne."

Alm raised an eyebrow. "Are you backing down from a fight? That's not the Gray I know. I'm going to enjoy avenging everything we lost in Ram Village."

Gray snorted in amusement. "You're right. I guess it'll feel good taking down the people who burned down your house."

The group of soldiers eventually came to a stop; the large expanse of trees known as Ram Woods came into sight. In total, three fifths of the Deliverance were under Lukas's control. The remainder were guarding Camp Votum.

"This is it." The knight said. "Gather around everyone. I'll brief you on this battle, and then you can get back to your patrols."

Gray and his friends scrambled to get to the front of the crowd. He touched his new, leather sheath. The iron sword gifted to him by the deliverance felt oddly comforting by his side. The delight of combat returned to the boy's mind.

"Unfortunately, our scout was chased off before gaining too much information." Lukas announced. "We'll be having two phases: scouting, and combat."

 _Just like what we learned from our mentors._ Gray thought.

"In scouting phase, patrols will disperse around the forest to find any traps or other settlements in the area. We know that the bandits are here, but not how many camps there are…"

"...You already know there are twelve patrols. Each one consists of two knights, eight recruits. One of the knights, the signaler, will be carrying these."

Lukas pulled out a peculiar arrow from one of his knight's bag. Instead of a flint or iron tip, a deer's horn was fastened at its front. It was painted red and had holes perforated all over it in an odd pattern.

"This is a signal arrow." Lukas stated. "A knight will fire this into the air, and it will whistle loudly. One arrow means 'come to my assistance immediately'. Two means 'phase over'. Only I have permission to fire two."

Gray looked towards Tobin and Alm. They were also scratching their heads in confusion. Kliff's eyes lit up, his mind always looking to soak in information.

"When you here the two arrows, we will meet back here, exchange information, and carry out the final attack." Lukas said. "Any questions?"

 _plenty._ Gray coughed into his tunic sleeve.

"Um, sir." A recruit raised her voice. "What if we run into a trap, and we don't want our comrades to follow?"

"Then the signaler won't fire an arrow."

An eerie silence fell over the troop. The recruits looked at each other in a nervous fervor.

"No more questions? Good. Get in your assigned patrols, and follow your knight's orders. We enter Ram Woods in five minutes."

"Not the most uplifting speech, but I'll take it." Kliff said. "What number are you guys again?"

 _Alm, Patrol One._

 _Gray, Patrol Four._

 _Tobin, Patrol Four._

 _Kliff, Patrol Eleven._

"Wait." Kliff coughed. "The knights don't know who we are. Why don't we trade numbers with the other recruits so we end up in the same patrol?"

"Good idea." Alm said. "I should have thought of that before."

"I don't think so." Tobin said. "We've been training with each other for so long. Maybe it doesn't hurt to work with other people."

"But-"

Before Kliff could offer a response, the Deliverance patrols have already assembled. The knight from Patrol Four was already furiously interrogating his underlings - those two empty spots were not going to fill themselves.

"Too late." Tobin sighed. "They sure are fast."

Alm shook his head in disbelief. "When I first joined this army, I never knew we'd be split up this quickly. Don't die on me guys."

"That's my line." Gray said. "Good luck out there."

Without further ado, the boys said their goodbyes and broke off. Gray and Tobin stayed together and headed towards their new commander. The knight was shouting at them to hurry up, his moustache twitching in annoyance.

I still can't believe we're a pair." Tobin commented. "Guess Lukas hates both of us."

"Well, he certainly dislikes one of us more than the other." Gray raised his arms and yawned. "Let's see which lucky bastard will be babysitting us."

* * *

The patrol leader, the signaler, and their fledging recruits roamed through Ram Village. Marching for a solid hour, the scenery of trees and green grew tiring. Two years ago, villagers from Ram have noticed the forest had become dangerous.

The number of attacks on travelers and bandits have risen steadily. In fact, for those two years Gray and the other lads were banned from leaving Ram Village. The village guard seldom caught them slipping out during the day.

The two caught up with the patrol leader, who was looking around aimlessly. Lukas's scout had prepared a crude map for them, but it was useless. It was almost as if they were lost though none of them was willing to admit it.

"You two Ram folk. You have any idea where the camp might be?" The knight asked. "This place is close to your village, after all."

"I would have suggested something ten minutes ago," Gray shrugged, "if I knew." His leader growled as the snide response.

Tobin looked around the area and thought hard. "I think there's a river that way, a few hundred paces from here. I used to hunt around there."

"Thank you, boy." The knight said. "This way, everyone." Tobin hummed along happily, more than pleased to be recognized.

After passing a patch of small mushrooms and pine, the sky began to show again. The birds chirped and the sun shone above all. With such a peaceful atmosphere, Gray found it hard to believe they were going to fight.

Their patrol leader was a tall man, blond hair and red armor far more durable than the boys' tunics. The signaler was a woman perhaps only a few month older than Gray. She had a short build with brunette hair and red chainmail. Tobin stared at the signaler's quiver. The young woman gave a few uncomfortable glances back.

"Creeping on Lady Amber now, are we?" Gray whispered.

"I was just thinking those signal arrows look amazing." Tobin said. "Shoot them in the sky and they make noise? What a brilliant invention…"

"You sure that's why you're looking that way?"

"Shut up lecher. Get in line before that knight yells at us."

They reached the stream Tobin had spoken of, or what was left of it. The waterway had lowered to a small trickle. Gray pebbles and broken rocks were the only remnants of what the river used to be.

"Great Mila…" The knight coughed. "Something smells horrible around here. Surprisingly, it isn't any of you."

"You're right." Gray admitted, scrunching up his nose.

It took seconds for a recruit to find out where the stench was coming from. After pointing towards a bush, he slowly walked through it to the other hidden side.

"Aghh!"

"Draw, now!" The knight ordered.

A few jays flew away from their tree, equally startled. Tobin and Gray unsheathed their swords in a panic. The signaler drew out her bow and arrow from the back of the patrol. After a bit of silence, the boy slowly stepped back to the river.

"What the hell was that, recruit?" The patrol leader cursed.

"B-bodies. On the other side of the bush!"

The two knights lowered their weapons. "Oh, just bodies. I thought our two Ram lads led us to a damn trap or something."

"Just bodies?" Tobin repeated.

 _This man has seen plenty, hasn't he?_

The man in armor was the first to enter the brush. Gray was right behind him, followed by Tobin and the rest of the patrol.

The boys gasped when they arrived at the scene. Five bodies were scattered across the ground. Flies whizzed around their decomposed bodies. Their tunics were all cut up and brown spots were visible on most of their limbs.

"What-" One of the recruits breathed.

"Don't recoil. We'll be seeing a lot more of these sooner or later." The patrol leader said. "Let's stay here for a moment."

"Yes sir." The others, including Gray, replied. The boy was determined to do anything to avoid the smell. He and the other tried not to stare at the corpses.

The two knights quickly finished their autopsy. The dead were bandits died within the past two days, probably from battle. Various stab wounds through the useless cloth armor. All of their weapons and possessions were picked clean.

"What do you think killed them?" A recruit asked.

"No idea." The signaler said. "Nobody from the Deliverance could have been here. Tobin, Gray. Do any of you think-"

"Doubt it." Gray said. "The village guard from Ram never go beyond their posts."

The patrol leader took a long look at the bodies before giving a small smirk. He turned to the sweating recruits.

"Keep your eyes open. Looks like there's more than just bandits to look out for in these woods…"

 **[…]**

They travelled southbound along the stream, bumping into Patrol Three along the way. They had no information to share, but they were surprised to hear about the corpses. Wishing each other luck, the two groups split up again.

"Who do you think killed them?" Gray asked in a whisper.

Tobin blinked. "How should I know? Maybe they were all fighting Desaix's forces over here."

"Funny, what would the chancellor's soldiers be doing all the way here?"

"We're in the middle of a civil war. Like the Deliverance, they're probably going from town to town, recruiting as many people as possible."

"That makes sense. If they're better orators than Sir Lukas, then-"

"We'll be fighting against people from our own village." Tobin finished.

Gray stroked his chin.

"Dammit." He said. "Faye!"

"You think she'll join Desaix's army?"

"Listen. Lukas and his knights show up and give a half-assed speech. The next day, all four of her friends suddenly abandon her and disappear."

"Okay, she'll have a grudge against the Deliverance, but that's it." Tobin shrugged.

"What if she thinks the Deliverance kidnapped us, and joins Desaix's forces to 'free' us from our captors? We didn't let her know about anything, after all."

"Are we talking about the same person?"

Gray stopped his tirade. It was a good question. Faye ran away from her first battle and, as a result, turned into a prisoner in her old household. The poor girl would never get permission from her parents to take up arms.

"Ah, sorry about that." He admitted. "I was just spewing nonsense. We all owe her an apology when we finish this damn war."

"It was Alm's idea. He was-"

An arrow cut Tobin short as it whizzed past him. The flint buried itself into the elbow of a recruit, who gave a shout of pain. He stumbled forward and barely kept his footing. Gray looked around frantically for the attacker.

"They're here! Draw your weapons!" The patrol leader yelled.

The soldiers of the Deliverance had walked into an ambush alongside the river. The bandit archer was standing on a thick branch from a tree. He shot another arrow before jumping off to another tree. The projectile bounced off the knight's armor.

Behind the archer was the footsteps and shouting of several men. More hollering came from the other side of the river.

"They're coming from two sides." Tobin said.

The knight snarled. "I know that, boy. Get ready to hold them off!"

Gray grinned widely. "Hell yeah, let's do this!"

From the bush underneath the archer's tree came a dozen bandits, mostly armed with clubs. One of them carried a long iron lance. The patrol leader drew out his halberd and ran forward. The recruits instinctively followed behind.

"Charge!"

The knight targeted the lancer bandit and stabbed towards him. The rest of the patrol found their own targets and started fighting.

Gray locked into combat with a gruff man, much larger than him. The opponent swung his spiked club forward, which Gray easily dodged. The boy dived in and slashed at the man's shin. The bandit tried to jump back but the blade clipped him.

"Gragh." The bandit moaned. "You little-"

The boy looked on emotionlessly as he prepared to dodge again. As the opponent approached, a recruit ran between them, halting the man in his tracks. A second later a bandit ran past them as well, chasing the knight-in-training.

Gray cried out, "Hey assholes, stay to your own fights!"

Impatient, he lunged forward and stabbed the bandit in the stomach. The man groaned and staggered backwards. It was at that point Gray decided to finish the job as he stabbed the sword straight through the bandit's chest.

"Mrgh…" The bandit fell backwards with a groan.

Gray looked around to see how the rest of the patrol was doing. The recruits were holding their ground well, much better than Alm and his friends a month ago at least. The knight was fiercely fighting back the lancer. Both men were panting heavily but neither have landed a blow on the other.

Tobin was having difficulty fighting two bandits on his own. Gray lowered his posture and prepared to pounce on one of them. Just as he was, another tall man leapt towards him. The foe swung his club downwards.

"Not yet!"

Gray managed to block in the nick of time. As he was about to counterattack, an arrow flew beside him and impaled the man in the cheek. The man gave a deathly cough and tried to pull the projectile out with his left hand.

The boy dashed up to him and struck his head, ending the bandit's misery.

"Thanks!" He yelled back at the signaler. "Though that was a bit too close!"

The woman snorted in contempt and looked around for another target. Meanwhile two more recruits had joined Tobin's fight. The cartwright apprentice pushed the bandits back, letting them get away. Blood soaked his hand from an earlier wound.

Finally, Gray turned his attention to the lancer. The patrol leader brought down the blade of the halberd but only ended up hitting dirt as the chiseled man sidestepped.

"Yarg, pull back idiots!"

The bandits were smart enough to know they were losing. The remainder of the brutes ran towards the brushes they emerged from.

"Cowards!" A recruit said. "Come back and fight us!"

"Don't follow them." The patrol leader barked.

As he spoke, incoherent shouting came from the other side of the thin river. The second group of bandits was at least three times as large as the previous one. Tobin swallowed. His hands shook as he gripped his sword harder.

 _Hah, mor_ e _people to cut down._

"Damn, there are too many of those bastards. Pull back along the river!"

Gray was pumped up to continue battling, but his comrades were starting to wear out. The boy reluctantly followed his patrol northbound along the stream, back where they came from. The bandits were behind, waving around daggers and shields.

For some reason, they were not in any rush to catch up.

"Slow down, slow down!"

A recruit shouted in a panic. Yet another group of bandits was waiting for them close to the riverbank. From the bushes to the right came more rustling. An unknown amount of fighters crept through the green towards Patrol Four.

"We're going to be surrounded." Tobin said. "What the hell do we do?"

"Fire the signal arrow!" Gray shouted.

The signaler drew out an arrow and pointed towards the air. Before she could do anything, the patrol leader put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not yet. We ran into a trap. We're going to fight this one out." He said darkly.

"Sir?" Gray shouted.

"You heard me. Get out there and break through!"

The boys knew exactly what he meant. The knight was not willing to have others follow into the same trap. Gray looked all around him. There were ten foes in front, twenty in the back, and more coming from the sides.

"Dammit I'm not going to die here with you losers!"

He and Tobin ran forward, trying to cut a path through the group in front. The recruits followed, yelling a war cry as they crashed into the mass.

Everybody was too close together to see what was going on. In the midst of combat, Gray almost accidentally slashed his own friends more than once. His sword was stuck between one of the bandit's armor. He pulled back mightily in an attempt to pull it out.

"Watch out!"

A bandit jumped towards Gray and swung sideways with a sword. Gray braced for a painful impact.

It never came. The knight in red armor dashed forward in front of the boy and blocked the attack with his breastplate. The bandit stumbled backwards and ran away from fear. Gray opened his eyes in surprise.

"T-thanks." He said.

"No problem, just-"

An arrow whizzed by and struck the man in the neck.

"Agh!"

"Commander!" Tobin cried.

 _It's that damn archer again!_

The knight staggered forward and fell to his knees. It took a second for Gray to realize after the shock. He tried to rush forward to help the man, but two more bandits were on his tail. After beating them off in rage, he turned back to see the patrol leader. The arrow had hit a major bloodstream and he was bleeding out fast.

"Push through!" He sputtered. "Push north before the group behind us catch up…"

"What was he thinking?" Gray shook his head. To him, the knight was just too embarrassed to call for help from the other patrols. "Lady Amber, fire-"

The signaler was unresponsive. Her body was sprawled out on the ground, a trail of red leaking into the earth. A bandit had gotten to her in the midst of the fighting. Both of the knights were down.

"Shit, this is not good!" The dark-skin boy exclaimed.

Tobin stared at the corpse, dumbfounded. The rest of the recruits were too busy fighting to notice the Knights of Zofia were dead.

Miraculously, they were actually cutting through the ruffians. Behind, the large group of bandits chasing them were just about to catch up.

"Tobin." Gray shouted. "Listen to me. Fire the signal arrow!"

"But our leader didn't say-"

"Do you want to die? Just do it, you bastard!"

Tobin grunted in fear and ran towards the signaler's corpse. He slowly picked up her bow and a deer horn arrow from the quiver of arrows. After taking a deep breath, the boy shot the red arrow into the blue sky.

As it flew into the sky, it gave a loud whistling sound. The bandits covered their ears, not knowing what the screeching sound was.

Gray gave his friend a nod and returned to the fight.

 _Mila help us all…_

* * *

Throughout the entire fight, Gray fought with a renewed anger. They were just too late, however. By the time the bandits at the river retreated, the large group who were originally chasing them had caught up.

There were at least forty of them in total.

He ducked his head as another arrow whizzed into the crowd.

"Don't fight, just run!" Gray shouted, sheathing his sword.

"Wait, where is our-"

The recruits eventually realized their knights were dead.

Gray shouted again. "If you don't want to die, follow me!"

The boy from Ram designated himself as the leader. Nobody else had time to complain so the patrol unconditionally followed his orders. They continued running northwards.

The bandits this time were much faster in their pursuit. The recruits had completely worn themselves out back there.

 _All we need to do is run until we meet someone…_

The riverbed was filled with jagged rocks, slowing down what remained of the Deliverance. Tobin struggled with the terrain and fell over. The sharp edges of the stone pierced his kneecap.

"Tobin!" Gray cried.

"Ugh…"

The boy picked himself up but could only stagger forward.

 _No! He cannot die on me today!_

"Hey guys! Wait up!" A deep voice came from the bushes.

A bunch of young men and women burst forward from the greenery. Among the group, Gray could recognize Kliff's recognizable face among the crowd. The knights saw the bandits on the riverbed and yelled at their underlings to draw.

 _Patrol Three and Patrol Eleven._

"Thank the gods!" Gray swallowed.

"Where are the knights of your patrol, kid?" The eldest knight said.

"They're dead. I'll explain later!"

The knights exchanged a confused look and ordered their patrols to attack into the riverbed. Gray reared Kliff as they charged into the fray.

"Hrah!"

Kliff stabbed forward at a bandit in the middle of the jagged rocks. The man dodged easily, but tripped over a few pebbles. Gray leaped forward and slashed the man's throat easily. His friend gulped at the sign of blood and backed off.

"Thanks for the kill." Gray said.

"Y-yeah, no problem."

The reinforcements demoralized the bandits, and slowly they were pushed back from the river. Gray managed to score two more kills before the bandits started to flee.

To his credit, Kliff had greatly improved from weeks ago. Throughout the chaos of the battle, the boy was fast on his feet. After splitting up with his friend, Kliff managed to tag-team with a knight and knock out a few opponents.

The bandits were in full retreat.

The damned archer bolted for the bushes. Gray wanted desperately to avenge his knight, but the foe was too far away. Just as he began to give up hope, the boy heard a _woosh_ sound pass.

A direct hit.

The ruffian groaned and fell to his knees, eventually buckling over completely. In his back was a buried arrow. Tobin was holding the signaler's bow, kneeling on the jagged rocks by the water.

His target was dead.

"Good shot…" Gray murmured.

The Deliverance cheered at their victory. The recruits of Patrol Four fell to the ground in celebration, completely worn out from fighting.

The soldiers from the other patrols walked around, inspecting their wounds. Gray and Kliff took the opportunity to wash the blood off their blades in the river. The stream of water had turned into a shade of red as they kneeled by the water. Tobin was taken into the bushes. His wound and equipment were being looked over by a young man from another patrol.

"Hey, what happened back there?" Kliff said. "That was close."

"Oh, long story." Gray said. "I'll tell you about it afterwards…"

"Why not now?"

The two turned around. It was a knight from Kliff's patrol.

"Sir?" Kliff tilted his head.

"Two dead knights and leading us into a battle..." The man huffed. "I hope you recruits aren't responsible for any of this."

Gray stood up. He was used to standing up against stuck-up commanders. After all they had been through, he was furious at the accusation. It did not matter the man was in red armor, or that he was a foot taller.

"If you think us recruits did something to cause their deaths, you're wrong." He uttered. "We're the ones putting our lives on the line so you can get your fancy castles and titles back."

Kliff tried a more diplomatic approach. "Uh, what he means to say is that we regret the loss of those two lives."

"You are not a knight. You will never understand true loyalty." The man replied. "We'll be keeping an eye on you, Patrol Four."

Before Gray could reply, a loud whistle filled the air.

Then a second one.

The soldiers around the river talked amongst each other quietly. The scouting phase was officially over, and they had yet to start the final battle. The knight gave a final look of contempt before leaving.

 _How dare he… After all we've done…_

"Gods be a bit more cooperative would you?" Kliff hissed. "We're all on edge with the battle right now."

Gray fumed. "On edge my ass. To fight for these ingrates... is an insult to my dignity. I'm leaving this 'Deliverance' the first chance I get."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Sorry for the long wait! The battle and its aftermath will be settled in next chapter. Also, I have decided that Faye will be reintroduced within at most three chapters. Look forward to seeing her soonish.**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


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